Bloomberg: Did 47 U.S. Senators Just Commit Treason By Attempting to Sabotage Iran Deal?

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-09/did-47-u-s-senators-just-commit-treason-by-attempting-to-sabotage-iran-deal-

If this happened in World War II, there would be trials. The most telling thing are the quality of Republican Senators who refused to commit treason. It is a sad day for America. After fighting a civil war and a half million dying in battle, the secessionist have reintroduced their evil into politics. The Dixiecrats and their evil influence over the GOP will take years to extract.

Both y'all are on crack

KarlRove wrote:Both y'all are on crack

From the jobs thread...

boards of FL wrote:Your MO is to swoop in, make a completely outrageous statement, and then that's it.  That's your contribution.

Yep. It seems like my characterization of you holds pretty well. I suspect I could post this after anything you have ever posted on this forum...ever...and it would apply.

If you think so, would you be willing to allow the AG to bring charges and have a jury of their peers picked to determine if the letter constituted treason.

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

Iran is an enemy. The letter gave aid and comfort to the hard liners who want to continue to fight America. The letter could lead to active confrontations in the Middle East between American troops and agents of Iran. American kids could die because of that letter. There are more than two witnesses that the letter was sent. The constitution gives no power to Congress to act on behalf of the United States, and reserves that power to the Executive Branch. This is a prima facia case of Treason. This coupled with the invite of a foreign nation's Prime Minister who has contra policy goals than America, then these Senators have openly engaged in Treason attempting to give aid to the enemy and help another nation. Clearly the hardliners and Israel want American kids to die and a military solution to the development of Nuclear weapons. There is no immunity for the actions these senators took outside their constitutional powers. Traitors.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/file-charges-against-47-us-senators-violation-logan-act-attempting-undermine-nuclear-agreement/NKQnpJS9

I just signed this petition.

This has nothing to do with politics. This is treason.

Article III, Section 3, Clause 1 of the US Constitution states: “Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.”

The question is will a US attorney in any District Court where one of the traitors resides, file a treason action in that District Court. The AG could also initiate the same, but that would have the smell of politics. This is not over. There have been treasonous acts by citizens and even congressmen and women who visited countries who were the enemy of the nation. Nancy Pelosi visited Syria and the Bush administration had asked her not to visit, so there have been examples of people in congress visiting countries which may be deemed enemy without executive approval, but nothing in the constitution would have denied some of these Senators going to Iran and gathering information(that was not going to happen), but to send a letter which is putting Americans at risk and without constitutional authority is Treason. Plain and simple. The good news is Corker who refused to sign, has said this action has scuttled his veto proof coalition which he was close to achieving on the issue of Iran.....as usual traitors and dumb as a post stupid.

They used official Senate letterhead and sent the letter without the knowledge of Senate Democrats. How could this action fall within their official capacity?

All of their actions are without authority.....constitutional or statutory. They are traitors who no different than the secessionist who started the Civil War. Americans are at risk when our traitors become allies with Israel and hard liners in Iran and actively work to cause a military response. American will die because of this treason.

http://www.lawfareblog.com/2015/03/the-error-in-the-senators-letter-to-the-leaders-of-iran/

Josh Rogin reports that a “group of 47 Republican senators has written an open letter to Iran’s leaders warning them that any nuclear deal they sign with President Barack Obama’s administration won’t last after Obama leaves office.” Here is the letter. Its premise is that Iran’s leaders “may not fully understand our constitutional system,” and in particular may not understand the nature of the “power to make binding international agreements.” It appears from the letter that the Senators do not understand our constitutional system or the power to make binding agreements.
The letter states that “the Senate must ratify [a treaty] by a two-thirds vote.” But as the Senate’s own web page makes clear: “The Senate does not ratify treaties. Instead, the Senate takes up a resolution of ratification, by which the Senate formally gives its advice and consent, empowering the president to proceed with ratification” (my emphasis). Or, as this outstanding 2001 CRS Report on the Senate’s role in treaty-making states (at 117): “It is the President who negotiates and ultimately ratifies treaties for the United States, but only if the Senate in the intervening period gives its advice and consent.” Ratification is the formal act of the nation’s consent to be bound by the treaty on the international plane. Senate consent is a necessary but not sufficient condition of treaty ratification for the United States. As the CRS Report notes: “When a treaty to which the Senate has advised and consented … is returned to the President,” he may “simply decide not to ratify the treaty.”

This is a technical point that does not detract from the letter’s message that any administration deal with Iran might not last beyond this presidency. (I analyzed this point here last year.) But in a letter purporting to teach a constitutional lesson, the error is embarrassing.

Jack Goldsmith is the Henry L. Shattuck Professor at Harvard Law School, where he teaches and writes about national security law, presidential power, cybersecurity, international law, internet law, foreign relations law, and conflict of laws. Before coming to Harvard, Professor Goldsmith served as Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel from 2003–2004, and Special Counsel to the Department of Defense from 2002–2003. Professor Goldsmith is a member of the Hoover Institution Task Force on National Security and Law. Follow him on Twitter @JackLGoldsmith. Full bio »

The author of the letter Senator Cotton has followed a preplanned career to get into politics. He went to harvard, went to Harvard law school, immediately joined the military, served two tours of duty, and won medals, immediately returned and ran for office, and at 37 is the youngest senator......all that career ambition, and not a wit of sense about how this country operates or concern for anything but his career. This is just one more person whose ambition got him into trouble, with the American people taking a very distant back seat to power, wealth, and ambition.

Well besides not really understanding our constitution, the statutory schemes, the power of the executive, and how coalitions are formed to overcome a veto by the President, I would say this guys not so hidden political ambition is derailed, as Senator Corker tries to pick up the pieces of a veto proof bipartisan coalition who would have had a veto proof requirement of the President advising Congress on Iran.......Cotton needs to pick some out of his brain.

The problem is that Americans want to forget the horrors we instituted on the Iranian people. A friend of mine built a road in Iran during WWII to supply the Russians and defeat the Nazis. The Iranian people were great. He had nothing but praise for the same. They loved the Americans and worked with them to complete this strategic road, but then in the early fifties we overturned a democratically elected government and installed a brutal puppet who destroyed any chance for us to regain the good relations that my friend and other American soldiers developed during WWII. Iran was always in our camp before we destroyed the Iranian people with a brutal selfish dictatorship of the Shah.

Now the very same shills who represent the oil and gas Oligarchy who were responsible for the coup in Iran, are committing treason to force our hand to attack the people of Iran at the behest of another nation under the guise that this is in America's best interest.

Get to prosectuin' folks if you think they are treasonous. I'm gonna grab a bag of popcorn and watch,

If they would not prosecute the Oligarchy who stole trillions from America and collapsed our economy, they surely will not prosecute the shills bought and paid for by the very same Oligarchy. It will only take one brave prosecutor who is not swayed by politics. It would help if that prosecutor was a Republican, but there is a remote chance of charges coming forth.....but we will see.

Like Jane Fonda and her unofficial meetings with Hanoi during a war, traitors will always make excuses for their behavior and actions, and rarely do they get prosecuted. However, it is funny how some of the very people who recognized her actions as being treason, they now commit the same. Hypocrisy abounds. I personally called Jane Fonda out when she visited our University and asked her if her treason has helped her career. I was booed from the microphone, but not before I yelled Barbarella.......sat back down with a smile. I was right. She was a traitor. I too wanted the war to end, but not undermining our executive branch, and possibly getting more killed.

These Senators committed treason, but if they will not be prosecuted for treason, then as tex has said the Logan Act is unequivical:


§ 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.

Easy prima facia case for a prosecutor. Some of the senior senators will lose their pensions as felons......now that would be justice.

2seaoat wrote:These Senators committed treason, but if they will not be prosecuted for treason, then as tex has said the Logan Act is unequivical:


   § 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.

Easy prima facia case for a prosecutor.   Some of the senior senators will lose their pensions as felons......now that would be justice.

I'd actually like to see this pursued. Nip it in the bud now or else we'll be dealing with this again and again in the future.

Make an example of them!