So, should Nancy Pelosi be brought up on charges for going against the "Logan Act"?

Question

Her trip to Syria was UNAUTHORIZED.

Answer 1

Let's do the best thing for America, let's send her back to Syria and then refuse to allow her back in the states. Oh, and send Jimmy Carter with her.

Answer 2

Yes, she should.

The Constitution clearly gives the authority to negotiate and make treaties with foreign powers to the Executive branch. She has no business traveling to Syria as a "representative" of the United States.

Over the past 60 years, the legislative branch has slowly overstepped its bounds and encroached upon the powers specifically given to the Executive branch. The whole point of the legislative branch is to pass laws and budgets that pertain to domestic policies or US government entities, and has nothing to conducting foreign relations.

So, let me ask people who claim Nancy Pelosi has the authority to perform non-sanctioned diplomatic trips to foreign nations. Let's say, the President has one stance on a particular topic, and, now, Nancy Pelosi states a completely contrary view on the same topic. And let's say that a month later Steny Hoyer makes a "diplomatic" trip to the same country and states a third position on the same topic. Let's take this one step further, what if a month after Hoyer made his trip, Zoe Lofgren made a trip to the same country and stated yet another different position on the same topic.

Now, say the President through the Secretary of State has to negotiate a treaty with this country on this particular issue, well what is the United State's official stance? Now this country can say they would told by "officials" of the US government that the policy was one thing when in actuality it is not. Now, the chances of a treaty even being negotiated by the Executive branch for ratification by the Senate have been lessened by the unauthorized trips of these US Representatives.

And remember how the process works. The President negotiates treaties and the Senate, NOT the House of Representatives, ratifies treaties with foreign governments.

Since Nancy Pelosi is a member of the House she does not even have voting authority to ratify foreign treaties.

The whole reason why this power is given solely to the President is ensure one and only one policy exists when dealing with foreign governments.

For those who claim that "oh, look Republican members of the House went to Syria already; therefore, Pelosi can go too." Well, did these Republican Reps have the backing of the President to represent the foreign policy viewpoint of the United States? My guess is yes.

And beren, sorry you are wrong the President has the power to negotiate with foreign powers and the Senate not the whole congress has the power to ratify negotiated treaties. If Pelosi were a Senator, and not a Representative, I could begrudgingly see your point; however even then the Senate only has the power to ratify treaties not negotiate them.

Please see the below link to Article II, Section 2 of the US constitution. This clearly draws the lines giving the President the power to negotiate treaties, and Senate the authorities to ratify these treaties, not the reverse.

Answer 3

Yes she should. I just read the opinon piece in the Wall Street Journal and the background on the Logan Act of 1798. The Act gives ALL statesmaking powers to the EXECUTIVE,and even Jefferson Democrats made it a CRIMINAL OFFENSE for someone from the legislative branch to visit a nation that supports our enemies.

Albert Gallatin (1799) calls this an "act of treason" unless specifically authorized to do this by the President of the United States. Bush said, "Don't go."

This is a felony, and impeachment charges must be brought against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

I just wrote to my Congresswoman, Ellen Tauscher. I copied the text of the law below into the email and sent it into her website at www.house.gov. I demanded prosecution of the Speaker on the floor of the House. What good that will do, who knows? But the Speaker has committed a felony and that must not be overlooked. I encourage you to do the same.

Answer 4

Obama will do what he can to proceed enjoying occasion politics and towing occasion lines. Already, he's performing like he's on borrowed time. He does no longer prefer to threaten the democrat majority in Congress, and any criminal action focused on Congressional contributors could do exactly that, exceedingly extreme score democrats like Pelosi. in spite of this, Pelosi does not undergo in recommendations telling unlawful aliens that it fairly is wonderful for them to be in this u . s . a . illegally and that their movements are patriotic (even however she replaced into caught on digital camera telling them this at a meeting in SF). Pelosi additionally mentioned the country that human beings are dropping their jobs at a cost of 500 million a month. She maintains to push unions down the throats of middle type workers, however the agency that she and her husband very own refuse allowance of union workers (ironic?). How can all of us fairly have confidence something that comes out of her mouth?

Answer 5

Here you go LHFP...Now YOU can read the act it in it's entirety (below) .

I've read the act, as has Robert F. Turner of the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Turner, writing in an April 6, 2007 editorial entitled: Illegal Diplomacy, expresses the opinion that Ms. Pelosi's negotiations ARE in fact a direct violation of the act.

I agree with him.

Whether she will ever be prosecuted is a separate Q. But it is clear that she has violated the very precise prohibitions spelled out in the act, to wit:

§ 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments.

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.
This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply himself, or his agent, to any foreign government, or the agents thereof, for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.

All I can say to the left is: I'm sorry if your bias causes you to strike out angrily at anyone who expresses an opinion that bothers you. You are, of course, entitled to formulate your own opinion...

But you are NOT entitled to formulate your own facts.

Answer 6

She didn't go against the Logan Act. She is a member of Congress and she never represented herself as carrying out official State Department business. Her trip was not unauthorized. There are three Republican members of Congress who also went to Syria.

Answer 7

You might want to give more information on the Logan Act.

I think people misundertsand why she was there and that there were 4 other (republican) senators there at the same time.

Her office says that she was there on a fact finding mission and wasn't there discussing U.S. policies with Syria. WTF is so wrong with her going there. There is nothing illegal about it and why is no one talking about the other senators that were there.

She does have a right to do that you know, she is the Speaker of the House. She wasn't undermining the Bush Presidency as she didnt go there as a representative of the Bush aministration.

Instead of alienating people we consider our enemies, we should open dialog with them to resolve our differences and enlist their help with fighting terrorism. Sometimes a regime doesn't speak for the people.

i.e. The Bush regime doesn't want a deadline for withdrawl from Iraq when the majority of the American people clearly want that. But whenever someone says they want a deadline for the troops, they're automatically advocating defeat. WTF Seriously, enough of the partisan bull.

Like I said, sometimes the regime does not represent the majority of the people.

Answer 8

should she yes,but will she NO,its too political.remember when race baiting Jesse Jackson went to Syria years back and sucked up to the terrorist regime there and secured the release of navy personnel shot down,he wasn't prosecuted either.what good does it do to elect a president ,then have him form his staff,then have an outsider not on his staff go in and try to cut a secret deal.can you say john kerry in france secretly talking to vietnam.it is a fact by his own admission

Answer 9

She should, but we know it will never happen. In today's society, things like treason and degrading your own country in a time of war are considered "righteous dissent" and "freedom of speech" without regard to the fact that those things exist for the people TO OUR LEADERS, not to for our leaders to denigrate each other to a foreign power.

Answer 10

Yes, anybody attempting to make the situation in Iraq better for everyone involved by cutting deals should go to jail. Anyone guilty of using common sense and not following Republican propaganda should be punished.

Are you really so stupid to think that negotiating with Syria is a bad thing? The world doesn't work according to your hypersimplistic, uneducated worldview. Get a clue.