Senator Chris Van Hollen’s sudden trip to El Salvador to try to free deportee Kilmar Abrego Garcia may have been illegal.
Van Hollen traveled to the Central American nation on Thursday to meet with Abrego Garcia and lobby for his return to the United Statesm despite the fact that he is not a citizen.
Legal experts and conservative commentators are increasingly arguing Maryland Democrat may have violated The Logan Act, which prohibits unauthorized diplomacy with foreign nations.
The 1799 statute, named after Pennsylvania Senator George Logan, bans communication with foreign officials “with intent to influence the[ir] measures … in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States.”
The Logan Act was previously weaponized by Democrats to harass President Trump’s former National Security advisor Michael Flynn.
While punishment involves a fine or imprisonement of up to three years, nobody has ever been convicted under the act, which is largely seen as symbolic.
The American Accountability Foundation sent a letter to Senate leadership on Thursday highlighting the Trump administration’s evidence that Kilmar Abrego Garcia has connections to the violent transnational gang MS-13, which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization.