Those of you who have followed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) recent ill-advised trip to Syria might be interested in a quick read of the Logan Act (USC Title 18, Part I, Chapter 45, §953). The Act, passed in 1799, makes it a felony for any U.S. citizen to involve himself in foreign relations without the “authority of the United States”—meaning presidential authorization, since the president has constitutional authority over foreign affairs. Pelosi clearly intended to affect our (and other nations’) relations with terror-supporting Syria, and certainly did not have presidential blessing to do so. She’s unlikely to be prosecuted this time, but probably ought to avoid committing felonies in the future.
Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.