In a letter on Wednesday, Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) allege Gordan is tied to Ariane Tabatabai, a senior Defense Department official accused of participating in an Iranian influence operation.

"Before joining your office, Mr. Gordon co-authored at least three opinion pieces with Ms. Tabatabai blatantly promoting the Iranian regime's perspective and interests," Cotton and Stefanik's letter states. It continues: "In a March 2020 piece, Mr. Gordon and Ms. Tabatabai claimed continued sanctions on Iran would create 'catastrophe' in the Middle East. In another, they wrote sanctions could lead to new Iranian efforts to 'lash out with attacks on its neighbors, and on Americans and American interests in the Middle East.'"