The past six years have been a long exercise in how far one party is willing to go to stick a finger in the President of the United States’ eye. From outright offensive remarks directed at the Commander in Chief to demeaning the long running State of the Union with cheap blows from the gallery, the Republican Party has made it no secret that there is a personal distaste for the President that goes beyond politics. This time, however, they may have gone too far.
Senate Republicans have signed and sealed a letter to the Iranian government promising that any peace deal negotiated between Iran and the United States will be void once President Obama leaves office at the beginning of 2017. In their bid to undermine peace in the Middle East, Senate Republican probably didn’t realize that their act was wholly illegal, violating 1799 Logan Act which states clearly:
“Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, 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.”
Further, the Supreme Court in 1936 affirmed that the President alone holds the authority to speak on behalf of the nation to foreign governments. Republicans in Congress have claimed to hold the Constitution in the highest regard, but now have illustrated very little respect to the nation’s laws.