The 1799 Logan Act is used for political blustering

The 1799 Logan Act, which criminalizes negotiations by unauthorized persons with foreign governments having a dispute with the US, is used for political blustering, according to Myles Hoenig, an American political analyst and activist. 

Hoenig, a former Green Party candidate for Congress, made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Thursday after Trump said Kerry should be prosecuted under the Logan Act for speaking with Iranian officials and denouncing the president’s policy on the Islamic Republic.

"John Kerry speaks to them a lot, and John Kerry tells them not to call. That’s a violation of the Logan Act, and frankly he should be prosecuted on that,” Trump said on Thursday.

“The Logan Act was passed in 1799 to prevent unauthorized persons from engaging in foreign policy. When we’ve had private individuals in the past negotiate with other countries, such as hostage negotiations, for example., it has been with the support, or at least the silent approval, of the present administration. The allegation that John Kerry has been telling the Iranians to defy the US is ludicrous on the surface. As always, Trump has no proof of his claims and is only trying to stir up tensions with Iran,” Hoenig said.

“There have been many times in which private individuals have interfered with US foreign policy, to the point of treason, and have not been prosecuted. The Lyndon Johnson administration was fully aware of his opponent, Nixon, negotiating with the S. Vietnamese government to hold off on any peace deal with the North until after the election. The Johnson administration restrained itself from prosecuting them for fear of what it would do to the nation during war time,” he added.

“Ronald Reagan’s team negotiated with the Iranian government after the embassy takeover to hold the hostages until after the election. This all but guaranteed a Carter loss. And the entire Republican Party establishment invited Netanyahu of Israel to speak before Congress to lobby against the impending Iranian nuclear deal that the Obama administration was putting together,” he noted.

“If Kerry did convince the Iranians to do anything against US interests, whether those interests are legitimate, moral, ethical or not, then he should be prosecuted and allowed him to give a defense. In all likelihood, Kerry did what all previous former Secretaries of State have done, maintain contact with world leaders after serving his or her term,” the analyst said.

“If there was no statute of limitations, Nixon’s, Reagan’s representatives, if still alive, and the Republican congressman who invited Netanyahu should all be served with papers. But for now the Logan Act is simply used for political blustering,” he concluded.