President Trump Thursday said former Secretary of State John Kerry is violating the Logan Act by speaking with the Iranian government and should be charged with a crime.
“What I would like to see with Iran, I would like to see them call me. John Kerry, he speaks to them a lot. John Kerry tells them not to call. That is a violation of the Logan Act. And frankly, he should be prosecuted on that,” Trump said.
“But my people don’t want to do anything — only the Democrats do that kind of stuff. You know? If it were the opposite way, they would prosecute him under the Logan Act. But John Kerry violated the Logan Act,” Trump added.
Trump said in April that John Kerry was giving Iran “very bad advice.”
“Big violation of Logan Act?” Trump asked in a tweet last month.
Saudi Arabia and others in OPEC will more than make up the Oil Flow difference in our now Full Sanctions on Iranian Oil. Iran is being given VERY BAD advice by @JohnKerry and people who helped him lead the U.S. into the very bad Iran Nuclear Deal. Big violation of Logan Act?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2019
The Boston Globe revealed last May that Kerry had secretly been in talks with the Iranian government to salvage the the Iran nuclear deal after the Trump administration axed it.
The Logan Act forbids unauthorized persons from negotiating with foreign governments.
Kerry, 75, served as secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 under Barack Obama. Kerry ran as the Democratic nominee in the 2004 presidential election. There has been some speculation he might make another try in the 2020 campaign.
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Update: John Kerry released a statement, watch below via CNN:
