GOP Delegation Violates the Logan Act : Are Republicans Breaking US Law in Honduras?

[Judi Lynn]

GOctober 7, 2009

GOP Delegation Violates the Logan Act
Are Republicans Breaking US Law in Honduras?
By BRENDAN COONEY

As if the right needed to add to its anti-democratic pedigree, Republican leaders have flocked to Tegucigalpa to bolster the junta in Honduras.

Nine Congressional Republicans – including seven in the past week as the crisis heats up -- have now met with Roberto Micheletti, who took power after a military coup June 28.

This is a coup that has been denounced by everyone from the Organization of American States to the United Nations, which passed a resolution calling “categorically on all states to recognise no government other than that” of the elected president, Manuel Zelaya. No state has recognized Micheletti as president.

But U.S. Republicans have.

“He is the president of Honduras,” said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Monday. “Some people tell me 'de facto' government, but under the Constitution of the Republic I am seated here with the president of this country and it’s a great honor.”

Leading us further down the rabbit hole is South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, a member of the Foreign Relations committee, who visited Micheletti and his backers Oct. 2: “We saw a government working hard to follow the rule of law, uphold its constitution, and to protect democracy for the people of Honduras.”

Consistent with every other country, from Venezuela on the left to Colombia on the right, U.S. President Barack Obama’s policy has been to not recognize or meet with Micheletti.

Since contact with Micheletti is in direct conflict with stated U.S. interests, these nine Republicans, as well as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has aided them, seem to have broken U.S. law. The Logan Act says that anyone who without government authorization “directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of 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.”

More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/cooney10072009.html

[Andy823]

1. My question is

Who has to file the charges, and why hasn't it been done? You can bet your last dollar that if there was a republican in office and some of the democrats in congress did this, they would be up on charges in a heart beat. I think it's time to play hardball with these morons, and if they break laws, prosecute them!

[atreides1]

2. In order to play hardball

...you have to have the spine to do it, this administratioin in its unending quest to bring the elusive animal known as bi-partisanship, doesn't have that spine.

Could the State Department have revoked the passports for these asshats?

There is a precedent for the revocation of a passport based on Haig vs. Agee a case that was decided by the SCOTUS in 1981.

[TheWraith]

3. You can't actually charge someone under the Logan Act.

Simply put, it's so vaguely worded as to be unenforcible. There's no record of anyone having been prosecuted under it since it was passed in the late 1700s.

[bluesmail]

4. Rabbit Hole is putting it mildly. What Universe are they from? EOM

[tomm2thumbs]

5. why don't the Republicans chant 'America- Love it or Leave it' anymore? It sounded good then...

Guess it isn't so good when you are the one who has to leave to make it work.
bwahahahahaha - now they are 'playing government' by running around acting like they have clout

talk about Glenn Beck's beetles - these folks are the scabies of the Republican establishment