Marco Rubio has asked AG Bill Barr to investigate John Kerry over his meetings with high ranking Iranian officials.
He wants them to determine if he violated the Logan Act or the Foreign Agents Registration Act – a federal law which prohibits private citizens from negotiating on behalf of the U.S. government without authorization. He originally asked the DOJ under Jeff Sessions back in September but Sessions was AWOL again, just like he usually was. Kerry met with Iranian officials several times to save the deeply flawed Iran nuclear deal. Rubio posted the open letter on his Twitter page.
On Thursday, President Trump accused Kerry of breaking the law by meeting with Iranian officials and said he should be prosecuted under the Logan Act. Trump appeared to have been referring to Kerry’s reported meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarid in early 2018, well after Kerry left his post as secretary of state.
A spokesperson for Kerry told CNN that Trump’s accusation is “simply wrong, end of story.”
“He’s wrong about the facts, wrong about the law, and sadly he’s been wrong about how to use diplomacy to keep America safe,” the spokesperson said.
During the Obama administration, Kerry was instrumental in negotiating the Iran nuclear deal between the U.S. and several world powers. Trump, who once called the agreement “defective at its core,” pulled out of the deal last year.
Only 2 people have been charged under the Logan Act – one in 1803 and one in 1852 – since it was signed into law by President John Adams in 1799. Charges were dropped in both cases.