President Donald Trump announced on Thursday accused former Secretary of State John Kerry of violating federal law by siding with Iran over US interests, adding that he would like the former Obama administration official to be prosecuted, according to The New York Post.
“You know, John Kerry speaks to them a lot. John Kerry tells them not to call. That’s a violation of the Logan Act, and frankly he should be prosecuted on that,” Trump said Thursday at an event in the Roosevelt Room.
Trump was likely referring to The Logan Act, which blocks unauthorized Americans from negotiations with foreign governments who are in a dispute with the United States, according to the Post.
Trump made his comments about Kerry, who was a former Democratic Senator and a 2004 presidential candidate after the president was asked what the nation of Iran did that prompted him to send an aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
That question caused the president to talk about issues in the region, and the president credits the former secretary of state with exacerbating those issues.
“Well, they were threatening. And we have information, we have information that you don’t want to know about,” Trump told reporters. “They were very threatening. And we have to have great security for this country and for a lot of other places.”
When asked if his move could risk a military confrontation, Trump left was not definitive but left the option open. “I guess you can always say that, right? I don’t want to say no. Hopefully, that won’t happen. We have one of the most powerful ships in the world that’s loaded up and we don’t want to have to do anything.”
When asked what Iranians might to solve the problem, the president recommended that they call him to talk it over.
“What I’d like to see with Iran, I’d like to see them call me,” the president said.
