Sen. Marco Rubio sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday requesting the Justice Department launch an investigation of former Secretary of State John Kerry.
“I write to encourage the Department of Justice to make a determination on whether former Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s actions since leaving office related to the Iran nuclear deal … potentially violate the Logan Act or the Foreign Agents Registration Act” (FARA).
During an interview for Fox News, Mr. Kerry mentioned he had met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif multiple times after he left office in January 2017.
President Trump also went after Mr. Kerry by accusing him of violating FARA to undermine his administration.
John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime, which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people. He told them to wait out the Trump Administration! Was he registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? BAD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2018
Mr. Kerry shot back at the president and said he should “be more worried” about his former campaign manager Paul Manafort.
Mr. President, you should be more worried about Paul Manafort meeting with Robert Mueller than me meeting with Iran’s FM. But if you want to learn something about the nuclear agreement that made the world safer, buy my new book, Every Day Is Extra: https://t.co/DKjc33Kvvu https://t.co/cesltkt0zW
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) September 14, 2018
Mr. Manafort was recently found guilty for several counts, including violation of FARA. The charge came from his past work with Ukrainian officials that were not officially declared to the government.
Mr. Kerry was one of the leading figures in putting together the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, which Mr. Trump pulled out of in May.
Mr. Rubio contends that Mr. Kerry talks with Iranian officials were about preserving Iran Deal and advising the regime on how to navigate the Trump administration. He cited a report from The Boston Globe detailing the former secretary of state’s efforts to talk with current American and foreign diplomats.
“The American people deserve to know that U.S. laws are enforced regardless of any individual’s past position,” Mr. Rubio wrote.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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