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By Jordan King
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Donald Trump has been accused of violating federal law by the American Muckrackers PAC after allegations were made he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the ceasefire deal the U.S. is helping negotiate between Israel and Hamas.
The former president allegedly made the call on August 14, according to Axios, and repeated in Reuters, which cited two unnamed "U.S. sources who were briefed on the call."
This claim was reported again by PBS host Judy Woodruff on Tuesday, who said, "the reporting is that former President Trump is on the phone with the PM of Israel urging him not to cut a deal right now because it's believed that would help the Harris campaign."
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Both Netanyahu's office and Trump denied that the call took place. In a statement quoted by The Times of Israel, a spokesperson said: "Contrary to media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not speak yesterday with former President Donald Trump."
During a press conference in New Jersey on August 15, Trump denied the phone call happened and said the last time he spoke to Netanyahu was when the Israeli PM visited him at Mar-a-Lago on July 26. "I did encourage him to get this over with. You want to get it over with fast. Have victory, get your victory, and get it over with. It has to stop, the killing has to stop," Trump said.
Woodruff has since apologized for her comments, saying it was not based on original reporting and that she had not seen later reporting that the story had been denied by Israel and Trump. "This was a mistake, and I apologize for it," Woodruff said.
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, told Newsweek: "PBS is making up fake stories. The only thing President Trump has told the Prime Minister previously is 'to get the war over with.' Any assertion otherwise is fake news."
The Logan Act
If Trump did make the call, there has been suggestions that this would potentially break the Logan Act, which prohibits unauthorized private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments on behalf of the U.S.
It is highly unlikely any action will be taken against the former president. Only two people have ever been charged with violating the Logan Act—one in 1803 and the other in 1852. Neither individual was prosecuted.
American Muckrakers, a political action committee known for its aggressive tactics in targeting Republican politicians, has filed a request with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of State.
"Today, we became aware that former President Donald Trump is allegedly violating the Logan Act by negotiating, and/or interfering, with the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu regarding relations between the United States, Israel, and other parties," the email states.
Axios cited one source as saying that Trump's alleged call was intended to encourage Netanyahu to take the ceasefire deal that was on the table. However, the unnamed source told the outlet that they did not know what the actual conversation was.
'Massive Crime'
Multiple people have criticized Trump on social media following reports of the phone call. Political commentator and Democratic National Committee member David Atkins said the allegation would be a "massive crime" if true.
Similarly, actor Steven Pasquale said it was "pretty balls to the wall treason." The Lincoln Project, a conservative group dedicated to "stop Trump, break MAGA and save America," wrote: "There's absolutely no line he won't cross."
Netanyahu met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in late July, when the Israeli Prime Minister was in the U.S. to meet with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
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In his press conference last Thursday Trump criticized the Democrats' calls for a ceasefire.
He said: "From the start, Harris has worked to tie Israel's hand behind its back, demanding an immediate ceasefire, always demanding ceasefire...which would only give Hamas time to regroup and launch a new October 7 style attack."
"I will give Israel the support that it needs to win but I do want them to win fast," he added.
Trump went on to threaten to arrest what he called "pro-Hamas thugs" and "jihad sympathizers."
Status of Ceasefire Deal
It comes after Hamas said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal presented by the U.S. but opposes what it argues are "new conditions" added by Israel.
Senior Hamas official and spokesperson Basem Naim told Newsweek that Hamas "welcomed" Biden's announcement on May 31, along with a subsequent United Nations Security Council resolution endorsing it on June 11, and that the group "confirmed its readiness for immediate implementation and submitted its approval of the mediators' proposal on July 2."
Naim then accused Netanyahu of deliberately disrupting the process by conducting new attacks and seeking additional measures.
Despite this, on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had "a very constructive meeting" with Netanyahu, who had "confirmed" to him "that Israel supports the bridging proposal" put forth by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt in a bid to push through the deadlocked negotiations.
Blinken added that "the next important step is for Hamas to say 'yes.'"
Update 8/22/24 2:42 a.m.: This article has been updated to note Donald Trump has denied the phone call with Netanyahu took place, Judy Woodruff's subsequent apology over her reporting of the call and further information about the Logan Act.
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