John Kerry Should be Made to Answer for His Meetings With Iran
“did not deny the suggestion he’s telling the Iranians to wait out Trump until there is a Democratic president again”
Former Secretary of State John Kerry recently admitted that he has had meetings with officials from Iran since leaving office. One of the points Kerry relayed to them was that they should wait out the Trump presidency. It’s nearly impossible to imagine the firestorm this would set off among Democrats and the media if a former Bush official had done this to Obama.
Alex Pappas reported at FOX News:
John Kerry slammed for ‘shameful’ shadow diplomacy after admitting to meetings with Iran
Former Secretary of State John Kerry is being slammed for conducting shadow diplomacy with Iran after admitting to multiple meetings with Iranian officials behind the backs of Trump administration officials — including over the scrapped nuclear deal.
An administration official on Thursday told Fox News Kerry’s meetings are “shameful,” pointing out what Iranian-backed militias are doing to kill and injure people in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Other Republicans suggested it may not even be legal.
“John Kerry is out giving advice to Iran about how to maneuver around what Donald Trump is doing; it’s insidious,” Ari Fleischer, the former White House press secretary for George W. Bush, said Wednesday on Fox News’ “Special Report.” “I don’t know if it’s legal or illegal, I don’t care about that side of it. It’s wrong.”…
During an appearance on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show on Wednesday, Kerry acknowledged meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif “three or four times” since leaving office, admitting to discussing the scrapped nuclear deal and other issues.
Later Wednesday, during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino,” Kerry did not deny the suggestion he’s telling the Iranians to wait out Trump until there is a Democratic president again.
Watch Ari Fleischer’s reaction below:
.@AriFleischer: “If John Kerry is out giving advice to Iran about how to maneuver around what @realDonaldTrump is doing, it’s insidious.” #SpecialReport https://t.co/YyLR18NXBQ pic.twitter.com/ZS5OI8eDev
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 12, 2018
This is serious. Michael Rubin writes at the Washington Examiner:
John Kerry deserves jail for secret Iran diplomacy
Kerry has always been an arrogant and aloof man. During his long career on Capitol Hill, Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle described him as the least-liked senator, an opinion repeatedly affirmed by his own office staff during his long career. He is disdainful of democracy. Simply put, he sees himself as above the law, deserving of privilege and special dispensation not only when he is in government, but also as a private citizen.
Perhaps Kerry believes he is not violating the Logan Act of 1799 which states that: “Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.”
Trump responded Thursday night. Brooke Singman reports at FOX News:
President Trump and John Kerry entered into a war of words on Twitter Friday, with the president suggesting the former secretary of state had “illegal meetings” with the Iranian regime, and Kerry suggesting the commander-in-chief should be more concerned with the Russia investigation.
“John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime, which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people. He told them to wait out the Trump Administration! Was he registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? BAD!” Trump tweeted Thursday night.
John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime, which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people. He told them to wait out the Trump Administration! Was he registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? BAD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2018
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded today and called Kerry’s actions “unseemly and unprecedented.”
.@SecPompeo: “What Secretary Kerry has done is unseemly and unprecedented.” He also says: “Secretary Kerry ought not to engage in that kind of behavior.”
Full video here: https://t.co/Yc39CqdOw5 pic.twitter.com/clDDZZ0g9M
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 14, 2018
For his part, John Kerry thinks this is a big joke.
Mr. President, you should be more worried about Paul Manafort meeting with Robert Mueller than me meeting with Iran’s FM. But if you want to learn something about the nuclear agreement that made the world safer, buy my new book, Every Day Is Extra: https://t.co/DKjc33Kvvu https://t.co/cesltkt0zW
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) September 14, 2018
PS – I recorded the audio version, not Omarosa.
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) September 14, 2018
This is not a humorous occasion.
Secretary Kerry should be made to explain his actions to the American people.
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Comments
Trump Jr’s meeting with a Russian lawyer is worth a special prosecutor. But John Kerry’s urging an enemy of the United States to resist US Foreign policy is not?
The Democrats have created an Alice in Wonderland world. Kerry’s actions fit the constitutional definition of treason. At the least his security clearance and passport should be revoked.
The quintessential narcissistic demagogue. I remember when he used the term Benedict Arnold Corporations. How about Benedict Arnold Kerry?
Now this really should be referred to the Justice Department (are you listening DiFi). But of course it won’t and if it were the coward Jeff Sessions would recuse himself because he served with John Kerry in the Senate, reveres the rule of law and is conflicted. The investigation would be turned over to Special Counsel Elizabeth Warren who would clear Kerry in 2 shakes of a commies tale.
Comments stolen from elsewhere …
Charge him with crime. Make the F’er lawyer up and burn through his Sugar Mommies money.
Better yet – start a wide open “investigation” into “collusion” – but actually follow the law and recite specific facts indicating a violation of the espionage act and Logan Act – then rifle through the papers of everyone he knows or has worked with for the past 10 years. Kick in his door in the wee hours of the morning and make Theresa shiver in her nightgown – so as not to pose a threat to the officers- while they frisk her for weapons. Maybe they will find John’s Medals – you know, the ones he didn’t throw over the fence at the White House.
“Kerry’s actions fit the constitutional definition of treason.”
Spot-on. Screw the Logan Act. Let’s get right to the core. John Kerry has admitted giving aid and comfort to an enemy of the United States. All that is needed is his own admission in court (which isn’t going to happen) or two witnesses to the same overt act.
Giving aid and comfort to an enemy of the United States is not treason. Only doing so out of adherence to the enemy is treason. See the Haupt case.
In Haupt “adherence” is shown by acts intended to assist the enemy or to injure the United States, and not merely innocent acts that happen to assist an enemy or injure the United States.
An argument can be made either way that Kerry is guilty of “adherence” to an enemy of the United States. Charge him and subject him to the kind of investigation being conducted against the current administration and its officials. Then make those arguments in front of a jury and let the jury decide.
In World War II, Herbert Hans Haupt, an American citizen of German birth was smuggled into the United States by a U-Boat and tasked with committing acts of sabotage. Haupt immediately traveled to Chicago to be with his parents probably intending to remain inactive. Unfortunately for Haupt, other members of the sabotage team, immediately turned themselves in to the FBI.
He and his parents were arrested. Herbert Haupt was tried by a military tribunal in Washington and executed for being an enemy agent. His parents were tried and convicted of treason.
Max Haupt maintained he did only what a father would do. The convictions of Max Haupt and Herbert Haupt were upheld by the Supreme Court.
Milhouse did not pick a good case to prove his point.
If the American Left feels free enough to call President Trump a traitor and gin up a “special counsel” I have no problem calling John Kerry a traitor.
Traitor Kerry negotiated with the North Vietnamese in time of war. He now, in a direct meeting encourages an enemy of the United States to defy the United States.
He is a traitor.
No, they don’t. The definition is (a) making war on the USA, which he clearly hasn’t done, or (b) adhering to their enemies, combined with an overt act giving them aid and comfort. The key part of the second definition is adherence. Doing something that gives an enemy aid and comfort is not treason unless it’s motivated by adherence to the enemy, i.e. support for his cause. If it’s done for any other reason, such as to gain some domestic political advantage, then it is not treason.
Kerry’s actions in Paris could have been charged as treasonous. He might have argued that he had a different motive, but there was enough evidence to allow a jury to find that he acted because he supported North Vietnam and wanted it to win the war.
But his current actions are almost certainly not motivated by support for the mullahs, and even if by some chance they are there’s no evidence a jury could honestly use to find so, which means a judge could not allow a jury to convict.
So you know that Kerry wasn’t motivated by adherence to Iran or an intent to injure the United States? (Both of which are considered “adherence” by Haupt.) That’s what investigations are for – to find facts. This is why Kerry’s actions must be investigated.
Treason is usually conducted in secret. We can’t expect a person committing treason to do so in a manner that his acts and purpose(s) are evident. In this situation, the acts are already known. The motives behind them must be discovered. Kerry should welcome a thorough investigation to clear his reputation!
Exactly.
This screams of extortion and money laundering, and virtually demands subpoenas of ALL bank records of ALL Kerry’s associates, including Obama the criminal.
Milhouse should apply for employment with Comey – nothing to see here, move along…
I don’t know that it fits the legal definition of “sedition” or “treason,” but it surely sounds subversive to me. I do wonder how he is so emboldened to take such steps.
It is subversive, but that’s not a crime (except under the Logan act, which is blatantly unconstitutional, which is why no prosecutor has ever dared to give a court the opportunity to strike it down).
PS: Colluding with Russia to release information it had already stolen on its own, in order to influence US voters’ choices, is not a crime either. Supposing Trump had done so there would be nothing to charge him with.
Kerry has a habit of this sort of thing. He has engaged in, not insider trading, but insider traitoring.
John Kerry’s M.O. has always been anti-American. He got his start gaming the Navy’s system to get out of Vietnam early. He then ran Jane Fonda’s ‘Winter Soldier’ so-called investigation which has been proven to be false. His appearance before Congress, wearing a uniform shirt and long hair was filled with absurd-news claims. As a serving officer in the Naval Reserve, Kerry met with North Vietnamese and Viet Cong during the Paris ‘Peace’ Talks. That Lurch the Swifty is colluding with Iranian mullahs should not be a surprise. What WOULD be a surprise is his recall into the Navy followed by Courts Martial for treason.
Unfortunately, Kerry can not be held accountable for his meetings with the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. For that action he was pardoned by President Carter and the navy reversed his dishonorable discharge in a subsequent special hearing. So, all of that is water under the bridge.
The Logan Act MIGHT be applicable in the Iran meetings case. But, that Act has never been invoked.
If he lobbied for the Iranians, in any way, this would be a violation of law, if he did not register as such. But, at the moment, we have no direct evidence that he lobbied any US government official on Iran’s behalf.
While it is virtually certain that Kerry received some sort of other than honorable discharge afaik the proof of that is still hidden within the DoD/Dept of Navy.
Even if it were overturned by the Supreme Court it would be worth it to get it off the books if it actually applies to no one but people the left dislikes …
FBI – when are you going to arrest this mashed potato-faced turf fly? Awaiting your response.
When pigs fly!
FBI – when are you going to arrest this mashed potato-faced turd fly? Awaiting your response.
A Democratic swamp-dweller? Made to answer for something he/she did or said?
Sorry, but your naiveté is showing.
Kerry MUST be arrested
He has thrown down the gauntlet in President Trumps face for all the world to see
This must be dealt with and swiftly!
If Trump does not bring him to his knees, he will lose all respect from all corners of the World. It will encourage others, and diminish his standing here and abroad.
Done.
DJT spent a whole 120 seconds on him, and sent out a tweet.
Made to answer? By whom, Sessions, Rosenstein? LOL
My first thought was, he was totally useless when he was Obo the Clown’s SOS, so now that he’s a former SOS why do people think he has all of a sudden become a man with any influence over anybody or anything?
All right, who the hell’s the President of the US? I voted for Trump to be POTUS, the C-in-C, the director of foreign policy. Now some usurper comes along. We can’t have two people setting foreign policy.
A serious response to this challenge is vital. And “immediately” would be nice. Something draconian, something they’ll hear all the way over in Tehran.
This time, tweets are not sufficient.
Why the long face, John? Apparently sedition suits you.
This is actual treason.
Revoke passport while out of country…not permitted to reenter. If he enters illegally….permanently deport. Since he is “fluent” in French he can be an Un-American in Paris.
“Persona non grata”…. Kerry – Secretary of the Deep State.
That is not possible. (a) He’s a US citizen and therefore has an irrevocable right to reenter the US, with or without a passport; and (b) the government has no authority to revoke a US passport unless it was obtained fraudulently.
“”It’s nearly impossible to imagine the firestorm this would set off among Democrats and the media if a former Bush official had done this to Obama.””
No it’s not. All you have to do is see what they’re doing to Flynn, for legitimately meeting with members of a foreign government that the Democrats don’t currently like.
“”Trump responded Thursday night.””
I’m getting way past fed up with this kind of non-“response”. A tweet is no substitute for a criminal investigation.
Nobody with a brain can read the Logam Act without understanding it is unconstitutional on its own terms. ANY American can correspond with anyone about almost anything.
That does not forgive Kerry for what he’s doing. It may point to a gap in the law, however; one that needs a well-drafted response. It may not address what he’s DONE, but could prohibit what he may DO.
Meantime, Kerry should be hit with the full weight of public loathing for his conduct.
I’m doing my part.
I’ve loathed John Kerry for many years.
Indict him for a Logan Act violation anyway. Let him lawyer up and fight it to SCOTUS. As I read the Act, it is not a mere matter of a citizen corresponding with a foreign entity, it entails attempting to subvert the policies of the country being carried out by a lawful authority.
No. On its own terms, it is MUCH more broad than that. It is patently unconstitutional.
Since the Logan Act is a dead letter that should be stricken from the law, there is in effect no law that prohibits or even slightly frowns upon what Kerry is doing. This isn’t an issue for judges or juries, it is an issue for politics. Kerry thinks openly conspiring with Iran to politically defeat the Trump administration and America generally is much better than supporting the foreign policy aims of the current American government. He is proud of it. Then, let the public judge. There is simply nothing more to be done.
Not true
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2381
Nothing I said is “not true”. Pointing to the treason statute is not an argument, nor does it apply.
Most of what you say is not true.
Also, are you JBourque?
Rags is correct and speaks truly. The Logan Act is a non-starter and has been considered as such for a very long time. This is why Kerry should be charged with treason. Treason is defined by the Constitution (the Constitution only requires Congress to declare the punishments for teason) and therefore can’t be unconstitutional. The only possible sticking point is finding two witnesses, because Kerry (a real man of of his convictions /s) isn’t going to confess to the crime in court, no matter how much he grandstands about it in public.
So, aside from your lying personal attack, you advocate violating the Constitution to get someone you think is your enemy.
Don’t ever pretend you are a conservative again.
As the statute you linked to (and the constitution, from which it is a direct quote) specifies, the second definition treason is “or adheres to their enemies”. Giving an enemy aid and comfort for any other reason is not treasonous. Therefore Kerry cannot be charged with this.
Your opinion is wrong, as usual.
Iran is and has been an identified enemy state of the US for an extended period, appearing on the OFAC list and other terrorism surveillance listings. Further, Hezbollah, an arm of the Iranian state, was aided and abetted directly by Obama policies and actions.
Kerry can and should be charged with treason, as should Obama.
It’s not my opinion, it’s the law. Giving an enemy aid and comfort is not treasonous unless it is motivated by adherence to the enemy.
Further, even if it were merely my opinion, which it’s not, you offered no argument against it.
Yes, Iran is an enemy of the United States. Nobody disputes that. I don’t know why you thought it necessary to prove it, nor what point you think you’re making with it.
No, that is not the law.
It is your opinion that because Kerry didn’t come out and scream “I’m committing treason!” he cannot be charged. That is a false application of the statute, and the constitutional text.
If you paid attention to Haupt, you would have noticed that the question of “adherence” arose because the appellant Haupt (senior) had been charged with helping Haupt (junior), who was conducting espionage and planning sabotage for the Third Reich. Was senior knowingly assisting junior in furtherance of his crimes, or was he merely providing his son with fatherly assistance of a general nature (by sheltering him, helping him buy a car, and secure employment)? (BTW, dad found junior employment at an optics factory making components for Norden bomb sights.) Senior’s appeal failed because the court found he had knowledge of his son’s purpose, and was therefore willfully aiding the Reich when he aided his son’s mission.
This question only arose in Haupt because senior’s assistance to the Reich was mediated through his son. If he had not known that his actions were furthering the goals of the Reich and did not know that his son intended to injure the United States, there would have been no adherence.
Kerry dealt directly with a known and declared enemy of the United States. There is no question about his involvement (as there was in Haupt).
If working against current US policy (as set by the duly-elected President of the United States) is an attempt to injure the United States, and/or if Kerry’s dealing with Iran was intended to help Iran gain or regain an advantage over the United States, or to assist Iran to resist current policy, then Kerry adhered to an enemy and gave aid and comfort. Surely, being a former Secretary of State, Kerry cannot believably claim to have been ignorant of the nature and consequences of his own acts. (It could be argued that by participating in the photo op in Iran – a la Jane Fonda – Kerry was a willful player in Iran’s propaganda war against the US.)
How? When will they have the opportunity to judge, unless he runs for office again, which is unlikely.
Besides, he served in Vietnam. I bet you didn’t know that about him. That excuses anything else he does, for the rest of his life.
Now USAA good as time as any to see if the Logan act will stand up to scrunity
It won’t and you wouldn’t want it to.
Regardless of the legality of what Kerry did, his advise to Iran is only good IF Trump were a one term president. The regime is hurting now and already facing mounting civil unrest. Should Trump win a second term that’s a minimum of 6 years from now of waiting to do. What about the ultimate horror though (to Dems) of another Republican winning the White House after Trump serves two terms? That could potentially push things to over a decade of waiting for Iran. I don’t think they can afford to play the waiting game that long so long as the U.S. and it’s allies keep up the pressure on them.
If anyone knows how big an idiot Kerry is, it would be the Iranians. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Iranian leadership viewed Kerry’s recommendations as exactly what not to do.
Does anyone imagine the Iranians sought his advice? No! This originated with him. What I want to know is, 1) who he think he represents, and 2) who he represents.
Fair questions and ones I hope to see answered one day. Wouldn’t hold my breath on them though as if they do get answered it’s likely going to be a long time before they are.
Yes, those are very good questions, but I don’t see how we can ever get them answered.
Start a grand jury investigation for treason, subpoena all records (including his birth certificate – not suggesting he’s not a “natural born citizen,” but mocking the actions of Team Mueller, they left no stone unturned, didn’t they?).
Does he still have his security clearance? No way of telling if he is telegraphing intel to them.
I would hope not, but given the general practice he probably does. Trump needs to repeal it immediately. Not for his legitimate criticisms of administration policy, but because he is untrustworthy, and because he is undermining the policies of the United States.
Seat him in the Electric chair, like the Rosenbergs. Wife also.
Funny that he mentions Manafort…
Has Kerry registered as a foreign agent?
I understand that not doing so has some serious legal ramifications…
He’s probably not a foreign agent. Or at least, there’s no publicly available evidence that he is one.
John Kerry is no different than he was when he betrayed the USA in Paris and lied in Congress. But short of actually committing treason it seems there is no real way to criminalize his visit to our enemies.
OTOH, since Kerry is consorting with enemies of the USA it would seem very reasonable to get a FISA warrant to examine past and future communications as well as–if I understand the Carter Page warrant correctly–the past and future communications of anyone with which Kerry communicated. That should smoke out some fascinating information particularly as regards to leaking classified data. Maybe this pos will finally be punished for his activities after all.
Excellent. Of course if this has been done we would not and should not know about it.
The botoxed Prince of Louisburg Square (where he lives with the Ketchup Queen) is like a bad case of diarrhea…which never goes away.
negotiating with Iran by a private citizen is bad –
The much bigger issue is the delusional belief that providing the means and money to obtain nuclear weapons is in the US or any country’s interest.
Page used the Logan Act to attack Trump’s NSA pick. Every D and the legacy MSM (all D’s) piled on.
If the Logan Act can be used to scuttle the appointment of a POTUS’ NSA choice, then surely it can be used to prosecute Kerry – who is clearly violating it.
If he wants to argue it is un-Constitutional he’s free to do so. If the courts agree, then it gets tossed in the dust bin of history. Which would be a win for us. Meanwhile, raid his house at 3 AM with a no-knock warrant like they did to Manafort. Take his computer and look through every file for other crimes. Raid his lawyers office like they did to Trump.
Treason – last I checked, Iran never un-declared war on the US. Kerry is giving “aid and comfort” to an enemy of the US.
Worse: force him to watch ten hours of The Muppets, then look in the mirror for another 10.
He certainly is, but not out of adherence to the enemy, which is the key part of the definition.
The nation is in chaos: the rule of law was horribly wounded after 8 years of Odumbo, but it has died under Jeff Sessions.
He is the ultimate Quisling.
FNC this morning had, for balance, a former Deputy Secretary of State on to comment on Kerry’s performance by stating that everyone does it (well, former Secretaries of State anyway)talking to foreign leaders while attending conferences. etc. staying current on world affairs. Whomever was dinging Horse face pointed out that others did not attempt to meddle in the current administration’s foreign policy, which eventually got the former Deputy to say things like he wasn’t going to engage in character assassination like pointing out that Trump dodged the war in Viet Nam.
Democrats always stay “classy” as they jump off the curb and into the gutter.
Indeed they do, but they don’t advise those leaders, let alone enemies of the United States.
Indeed he did, but that’s completely irrelevant to anything today.
I propose that Trump just makes a casual statement to the mullahs that if they wish to listen to the idiot that could not get the nuke deal through Congress, could not get elected president, had to marry a rich woman to live, sided with a traitor in a time of war, then go right ahead and follow his advice.
Or, send an easily intercepted message to Kerry that things are going as planned and to continue encouraging the Iranians into a policy of inaction and lowered defenses while other measures against them are implicated. 😉