House GOP demands John Kerry discloses details of his ‘shadow diplomacy’ with Iran during Trump presidency
House Republicans are demanding former special presidential climate envoy John Kerry disclose details about his “shadow diplomacy” with Iran during the Trump administration — warning that his actions may have violated the federal Logan Act.
Five GOP lawmakers, led by Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, sent a letter to the State Department on Wednesday saying Kerry, 80, must hand over all records of his “private correspondence” with former Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
“It is of the utmost importance to ascertain the nature of these communications,” they wrote, according to a copy of the letter exclusively obtained by The Post. “Any discussion of sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump against Iran would present a likely violation of the Logan Act.”
The Republican co-signers — Reps. Brian Mast and Byron Donalds, also of Florida, Keith Self of Texas and Gary Palmer of Alabama — also requested that Kerry commit to standing down from his self-described “shadow diplomacy” if Trump takes back the White House in November.
“Will you commit to ceasing any backchannel communications with Iran and any other foreign government in the event of a change in administrations in November and never again advise the Iranian government on how to evade US pressure?” they asked.
The Trump administration withdrew from the Kerry-brokered nuclear deal with Tehran in November 2018 and imposed sanctions — but President Biden has waived sanctions and expressed hope about rejoining the pact.
The latest sanctions waiver, which gave Iran access to $10 billion last year, came after reports that the Shiite regime helped plan and signed off on the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel by Hamas, which claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people, including 33 US citizens.
“In its most recent Country Report on Terrorism for Iran, the US State Department noted that Iran continued providing weapons systems and other support to Hamas and other US-designated Palestinian terrorist groups,” the lawmakers also noted.
Enacted by President John Adams in 1799, the Logan Act is one of the oldest laws governing American diplomacy. It prohibits citizens from unauthorized correspondence with foreign governments in an attempt to influence that government’s relations or resolve disputes with the US.
Violations of the law, which have only ever been prosecuted twice, are punishable by up to three years in federal prison or a fine.
In a 2018 radio interview, Kerry admitted to having met “three or four times” with Zarif since leaving his post as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state the year before.
“What I have done is tried to elicit from him what Iran might be willing to do in order to change the dynamic in the Middle East for the better,” Kerry told conservative talker Hugh Hewitt.
“What do you do to try to get peace in Syria? I mean, those are the things that really are preoccupying, because those are the impediments to people, to Iran’s ability to convince people that it’s ready to embrace something different.”
In September 2022, former Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman claimed in his book “Holding The Line” that the Trump Justice Department had pressured his office to charge Kerry with violating the Logan Act. Berman added his office found no grounds to seek an indictment.
During a July 2023 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Waltz pressed Kerry about the admission, asking whether the former secretary of state had used encrypted messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp or Telegram to communicate with his ex-counterpart from Iran.
“I don’t recall how I communicated with him,” the former secretary of state said.
“I met him formally in the course of international — specifically, I think it was at [the United Nations General Assembly] in New York. I saw him in Munich, at the Munich Security Conference, which he was invited to,” he added.
“Depending on what it involves, shadow diplomacy has also saved us from a war,” Kerry also said in defending his decision. “If you look at 1963 [actually 1962] with the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was behind the scenes, back-channel conversation.”
The Republican lawmakers in their Wednesday letter said Kerry’s actions were “a far cry” from efforts by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to negotiate with the Soviets.
“History looks kindly on Kennedy’s decision to trade US Jupiter missiles in Turkey and a pledge not to invade Cuba for the Soviet missiles that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev introduced into Cuba,” they wrote.
“We believe history will be far less generous to any backchannel effort to provide aid to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
“In addition,” the lawmakers said, “it is vital that no future private diplomatic efforts again wind up strengthening Iran, which is currently flush with cash as a result of the Biden Administration’s refusal to enforce US sanctions.”
The 2024 presidential race is neck and neck between Trump, 77, and Biden, 81, despite low favorability and approval ratings for both candidates.
But polls show the former president is leading his Democratic opponent in key swing states that could decide the election.
Kerry left his position as climate envoy earlier this month and was replaced by John Podesta, a senior adviser to Biden on climate and a counselor in the Obama White House.
