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Pelosi's Syria diplomacy a felony under Logan Act?

Pelosi's Syria diplomacy a felony?
Former State Department official sees possible violation of Logan Act

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Damascus this week to discuss foreign policy issues with Syrian President Bashar Assad – against the wishes of President Bush – might be a felony under the Logan Act, according to a former State Department official.

The Logan Act, initiated by President John Adams in 1798, makes it a felony and provides for a prison sentence of up to three years for any American, "without authority of the United States," to communicate with a foreign government in an effort to influence that government's behavior on any "disputes or controversies with the United States," points out Robert F. Turner, former acting assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal today, Turner says the Bush administration "isn't going to want to touch this political hot potato, nor should it become a partisan issue."

"Maybe special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, whose aggressive prosecution of Lewis Libby establishes his independence from White House influence, should be called back," suggests Turner, who served in the Reagan administration in 1984-85 and also is a former chairman of the American Bar Association standing committee on law and national security.

Pelosi told reporters that during her talks Wednesday with Assad she "determined that the road to Damascus is the road to peace."

"We came in friendship, hope," she said.

The House speaker also said she conveyed an Israeli message to Assad that the Jewish state was ready to resume peace talks. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert quickly issued a denial, however, stating Israel's policy toward Syria has not changed.

As WND reported, members of terrorist organizations whose top leaders live in Syria called Pelosi's Damascus visit "brave" and "very appreciated," saying it could bring about "important changes" to America's foreign policy, including talks with "Middle East resistance groups."

The Logan Act was requested by Adams after a Pennsylvania pacifist named George Logan traveled to France in 1798 to assure the French government the American people favored peace in the undeclared "Quasi War" being fought on the high seas between the two countries, Turner points out. Rep. Roger Griswold of Connecticut explained the object was "to punish a crime" arising "from an interference of individual citizens in the negotiations of our executive with foreign governments."

Turner says that while Pelosi certainly is not the first member of Congress to engage in this sort of behavior, "her position as a national leader, the wartime circumstances, the opposition to the trip from the White House and the character of the regime she has chosen to approach make her behavior particularly inappropriate."

A purely fact-finding trip by a congressional delegation is not a problem, Turner says, nor is formal negotiation with foreign representatives if authorized by the president.

"Ms. Pelosi's trip was not authorized, and Syria is one of the world's leading sponsors of international terrorism," Turner says. "It has almost certainly been involved in numerous attacks that have claimed the lives of American military personnel from Beirut to Baghdad."

Turner concludes: "The U.S. is in the midst of two wars authorized by Congress. For Ms. Pelosi to [flout] the Constitution in these circumstances is not only shortsighted; it may well be a felony, as the Logan Act has been part of our criminal law for more than two centuries. Perhaps it is time to enforce the law."

Pelosi's office could not be reached for comment. Congressional offices are closed today for the Easter holiday weekend.

David Limbaugh nails Pelosi to the wall

    Under the Constitution, President Bush is in charge of U.S. foreign policy. In that capacity, he has attempted to isolate Syria and has persuaded our allies to do likewise. Pelosi, in direct contravention of presidential authority, directly contradicted the U.S. policy toward Syria by sending the unmistakable signal that Syria is part of the international mainstream when it is our policy to discourage that notion. As the highest-ranking member of the House of Representatives, she colluded with a terrorist tyrant to humiliate the commander in chief and countermand his foreign policy.

    Democrats are always accusing the president of overstepping his constitutional authority, but look at them now. Democrats are always talking about President Bush harming America’s image in the world. But consider the damage to our image Pelosi’s trip caused.

    Pelosi not only undermined the United States through her unconstitutional usurpation and contradiction of executive authority. She also intermeddled with Israeli policy and caused great harm there, too, by misrepresenting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in implying he had softened Israel’s stance toward Syria and wanted to renew peace negotiations. This reckless blunder incensed the Olmert administration, which strongly denied it had changed its position. Olmert said that until Syria changes its sponsorship of terrorism, peace talks will be meaningless.

    If there is any doubt about Pelosi’s collusion with Syria to weaken the president and thus the United States, or if there is any doubt about the poisonous fruits of that infernal collusion, hear the words of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Moallem following the Assad-Pelosi meeting. He said, “These people in the United States who are opposing dialogue, I tell them one thing: Dialogue is … the only method to close the gap existing between the two countries. … We are happy that Mrs. Pelosi and her delegation had the courage and determination to bridge these differences.”

    Pelosi has caused enormous anxiety to our allies, but has given great comfort to our enemies who seek to divide and conquer us, by doing the dividing part for them. Her actions were disgraceful.

Pelosi’s trip to Middle East a crime

Nancy “Sweeper of the House” Pelosi and other members of congress have no business being involved in Foreign Affairs. This was no fact finding trip she tried to broker peace accords between Syria and Israel. One fact no one is talking about is that Syria offered to help us to withdraw honorably from Iraq; I saw this on a ticker on FNC. She comes out and states she sent the same message the Bush Administration sent? President Bush has no intention of pulling out of Iraq, that is HER agenda. Plus the Bush administrations current policy is to ISOLATE Syria. Just by her visit, and others, she violated that policy. therefore I say she is guilty of violating federal law. yup, it is called the Logan Act:



I say she should be arrested and tried under the Logan Act and tossed in prison! This is another example of Congress trying to usurp the Executive Branch’s authority. I swear they want to be our Parliment and relegate the President to a figure head like England did to the Monarchy.

Well, Congress may have thew power of the subpoena, but the President has the Justice Department and I would use it.

Pelosi was accompanied by Reps. David Hobson (R-OH), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Tom Lantos (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Nick Rahall (D-WV) and if they were involved with these discussions they are guilty as well.

Amen to that.

Toss them all in jail and let them rot for a while.

So just how did they get there?...whose dollars were spent on travel?  If the White House did not authorize the trip, then were did the money come from to get them to Syria?  If you ask me there is also misappropriation of funds, or misuse of taxdollars in there somewhere. 

You'd really rather have Bush attempt more foreign dimplomacy? He's proven himself an utter failure at it.

I understand the beef concerning a congressman stepping a bit out of line and Brother Jerry raises valid points about whose money was spent on the voyage, but please, don't tell me you'd rather have Bush anywhere near the Middle East again.

Bush's type of diplomacy has been very effective in the past and could be again. His diplomacy is not a problem in this situation if he were to get the appropriate support from those that are in public office that should be supporting him instead of looking for every and any tiny little thing to destroy him. It is the same reason that VietNam was the travesty it ended up being. The enemy to the U.S. is emboldened into continuing their fight and refusing to come to the table for any sort of negotiations because we have these people in public offices that actually are encouraging them not to do so with the Presidents administration.

The Pelosi's in our government are actually telling the enemy through their actions "Do not cooperate with President Bush. Cooperate with me and you will get your way.", even if those are not words coming from their mouths. Sam Houston said: "A Nation divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln borrowed on that when he said "a house divided against itself cannot stand".

This nation has been divided against itself every since Viet Nam. The "anti-everything" group thinks that they can negotiate their way through everything without ever having a war. This is an impossible dream. Yes negotiations sometimes work but not when going against someone that is intent on destroying us completely, that believes that the only way they will win is when we are completely under their control, their laws.

President Bush's administration is willing to go to the tables with our enemies but not on the condition of complete surrender, nor while letting them continue with their terroristic ways.

I have one question.  When did Pelosi replace Rice as Secretary of State?

The same day she (thinks she) replaced the President.

Amen PR.

And let me add that both Houston and Lincoln borrowed those ideas from the Bible.

I would much rather have Bush in the office now and I believe his bullish foreign policy is right on.  He has gone the diplomatic routes and proven that the UN is useless.  And when it comes to American interests then a President should act.

As PR said what has ruined the foreign front of this administration is not President Bush but every other Tom, Dick, and Sally in office that gets their face on CNN with an attempt to discredit the Administration for their own political gain or the gain of their party. 

When we went to Iraq, Bush had a huge approval rating.  And if your elected officials would stick to their task of representing you and not their party then the approval rating would still be huge.  If the media were limited in their access to things and stuck to their job of reporting the facts...not their opinion of the facts then things would be different as well.

Nope I truly wish we did not have term limits cause I would like to see Bush in office another 4 years at least.