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SETH HALPERN's avatar

Apparently Kelly hasn't been accused of violating the Logan Act, which has periodically been dredged up (without success) against partisan opponents of particular administrations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_Act?wprov=sfla1

Instead, Elon called him a "traitor." Whether that's supposed to pave the way for a groundbreaking new precedent or is just typical MAGA bloviation, I could only speculate.

Anyway, the gov't can't deport otherwise legal foreigners (like, apparently, Khalil) just because the WH or State Dep't finds their ideas "threatening." The time for summarily excluding "threatening" foreigners is before they first enter the country. At least, the last time I looked.

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Trey Harris's avatar

Of course, the Logan Act has never been successfully used against *anyone*, much less a member of Congress.

There are innumerable reasons besides conducting independent foreign policy that a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee would visit an ally to whom we’re providing military aid. Since Trump has (so far) only “paused”, not eliminated, Ukraine’s military aid (and has since reversed the pause), Kelly’s trip very clearly falls under Congressional oversight powers.

In other words, there’s likely no *more* relevant law, but the Logan Act isn’t on-point either. So if they really do intend to go after Kelly, they might use the Logan Act in a clearly unlawful way, or some other authority in an equally unlawful way.

And of course as we were repeatedly reminded by Trump supporters when Trump and his lackeys were casually called “traitors”, true treason requires supporting a declared enemy of the United States, and Ukraine is not. Even if it becomes one in the future, meetings prior to that status of enmity couldn’t retroactively be illegal.

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Alister Sutherland's avatar

Apparently, this government is about to do exactly that, setting a dangerous and deliberate precedent. They also want to eliminate birthright citizenship and 'deport' American-born citizens. To where is not clear, but all the moves Trump and his gang of thugs are making are in service of their totalitarian project. ICE has even arrested and detained native Americans. I don't know if any have been deported somewhere, but it wouldn't surprise me.

They will strip naturalized citizens they don't approve of; Black, brown, Asians, political dissidents of any creed or color, LGBTQ people etc., declare them illegals and criminals and ship them off to who know where, or detain them indefinitely in prison camps.

We all know where this leads.

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