Trump's violations of The Logan Act

[EndlessWire]

To be sure: Trump is a private citizen.

He is not the President.
He is not the President-Elect.
He is not a member of Congress.
He has not alleged any grievance that would enable him to approach a foreign government to settle it.
His status as the head of a cult has nothing to do with the matter.

Hungary's Victor Orban, regards Trump as the President. He came straight from the NATO summit to discuss with Trump how he wants to end the Ukraine/Russian war.

Trump has previously met with Orban, but what they talked about was never detailed. Now, Orban himself has opened his mouth and told the press what he discussed with Trump, a private citizen.

I don't think you can tuck this under the coattails of a private friendship, just buds chit chatting over a quiet evening's visit. It is presumptively a violation of the Logan Act.

Many times, we poo poo using some old law lost in antiquity, seldom remembered, and an unsuccessful one, so far. It's time to test it. Donald Trump is conducting foreign policy out of Mar a Lago when he is not the President.

None of us has standing to prosecute this violation:

The court stated that only the U.S. Department of State is aggrieved by a violation of the Logan Act and that only the U.S. Attorney General has the constitutional authority to conduct criminal litigation on behalf of the federal government.

So, only Merrick Garland can bring an indictment (special counsels issue notwithstanding.)

https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/RL33265.pdf

I believe the time has come to prevent Trump from acting as a "future President" when he isn't one. What good is the law when it can't be enforced? President Biden isn't in the loop with Orban running around basically interfering with Biden's foreign policy aided and abetted by Trump.

The penalty for violation of the Logan Act is 3 years in jail plus fines. Seems to me that they don't want a private citizen, such as Trump, interfering with delicate negotiations, and especially with a member of NATO who has a history of blocking ascension and voting adverse to our national interests.

Trump's way to end the war is to withdraw, jeopardizing Ukraine's sovereignty and their national interests, putting their people further in harm's way. Orban is practicing shuttle diplomacy, using Trump as our spokesperson. Beyond the premise of violation of the Logan Act, there is real harm that can happen, with Russia as a threat to Europe. Are we going to sit here and allow this highly illegal activity to continue? I believe that we have exceeded our tolerance for Trump pretending he is President. It's time for Garland to act. As fast as the SC moved to protect Trump, we should move to cut Trump off at the knees by indicting him for this crime.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/12/hungarys-viktor-orban-meets-trump-at-mar-a-lago-for-peace-mission-5-0



Vote Biden/Harris 2024

[ImNotGod]

1. fascists like tRump will continue to push the legal boundaries as long as we have a weak justice system nt

[JohnSJ]

2. and Comey should have been charged with violations of the Logan Act. It isn't going to happen.

[karynnj]

14. How did Comey violate the Logan act?

[JohnSJ]

15. My bad, I meant the Hatch Act. Thanks for the heads up. Obviously according to the media I better take

a cognitive test.

[tritsofme]

3. Trying to blame Garland for not prosecuting the first successful Logan Act prosecution in nearly 250 years is fucking

ridiculous.

And it really weighs on the credibility of anyone who could possibly make such a stupid argument with a straight face.

You write this ridiculous post knowing, I assume, that in over 200 years not a single person has ever been successfully prosecuted under this indisputably unconstitutional law? And try to criticize President Biden’s administration because of it? It is simply incredulous.

[WA-03 Democrat]

5. So your answer is

It’s just fine. Let Trump continue to crime about. No President has been impeached twice. No President has not accepted defeat by the electorate so no consequences as well by this logic for an insurrection.

Garland won’t do a thing so you can sleep soundly. Trump has a tee time for Pete’s sakes!

[tritsofme]

6. That something is not illegal does not mean it is "just fine"

It means that Trump needs to be defeated, and that outside parties won’t save us, only voters will.

[WA-03 Democrat]

7. Totally agree!

Let’s get out the because there won’t be another one!

[AKwannabe]

4. GD right!

Fuck tRump! Every. Time.

Fuck anything to do with that Cheeto orange fuck. Bigot. Racist. Fuck.

[ancianita]

8. Only Garland, technically. It might be that the Orban/Trump meeting can be handled in more than one way, imo.

Last edited Sat Jul 13, 2024, 05:50 AM - Edit history (1)

My lay understanding is that this Logan Act thing, while it could be investigated separately, might also be handled under the existing structure of the special counsel's cases before the federal courts, since the terms of bonding, and other federal laws apply that say you can't commit a crime while on bail. And the standard of reasonable doubt doesn't factor into a bond agreement but just one recorded piece of evidence does.

Special Counsel can handle this because of court jurisdiction with Trump's bonds, and violations thereof -- which is still justice.

[Think. Again.]

9. Excellent thought...

...and enforcing these bond violations wouldn't preclude investigation and prosecution of the Logan act violation to proceed either.

[ancianita]

10. And a real legal possibility.

Jack Smith:
“I intend to conduct the assigned investigations, and any prosecutions that may result from them, independently and in the best traditions of the Department of Justice...I will exercise independent judgement and will move the investigations ... thoroughly to whatever outcome the facts and the law dictate.”

As always, the problem will be gathering facts and solid evidence of this latest defendant move. If Trump is under a FISA warrant due to his arraignments, the team just might be able to get it.

[malaise]

11. Been wondering about this

Rec

[allegorical oracle]

12. Given that TFG has a history of not returning -- even discussing -- highly classified docs with

anyone he's trying to impress, it seems an historically appropriate time to haul out the Logan Act.

Inasmuch as the "aggrieved" party appears to be the Secretary of State, it might be helpful for Tony Blinken to ponder his responsibility to protect whatever remaining classified information is being shared by you-know-who.

[Danascot]

13. What does it say about us

that I know what the Logan act is without looking it up?

[hydrolastic]

16. We know but the general public doesn't know.

Something that nobody has mentioned is "The memo". Trump is using it as a shield right now. He knows the justice dept won't do or say anything. The problem with this is it allows him to do the most dasterdly of crimes to try and derail the election. We are like the Criminal Vizzini in the movie the princess bride shouting "Inconcievable " every time Trump does a more audacious move than the last. Instead, we need to expect way more crimes to come.