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By Ewan Palmer
News Reporter
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Donald Trump has been accused of unlawfully having communications and meetings with foreign leaders which contravene the Logan Act.
A number of Trump critics have suggested in recent days that the former president has broken the rarely cited law which makes it illegal for American citizens to engage in unauthorized diplomacy or negotiations with foreign countries who are in dispute with the U.S..
The claims are based around Trump speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and sharing online a letter from Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas days before the Republican presidential nominee was due to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
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Trump's legal team has been contacted for comment via email.
Despite the claims, it is 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.
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On Tuesday, Trump shared the letter he received from Abbas condemning the assassination attempt against the former president in Pennsylvania on July 13.
"Looking forward to seeing Bibi Netanyahu on Friday, and even more forward to achieving Peace in the Middle East," Trump wrote while sharing the letter on Truth Social on Wednesday night.
Ashleigh London, who frequently posts about politics, asked on X, formerly Twitter: "Doesn't this violate the Logan Act?", while resharing Trump's letter from Abbas.
A number of social media users also questioned whether Trump, a private citizen, committed a similar breach by meeting with Netanyahu at his Florida home.
X user Anne Reid wrote: "Isn't it illegal for him to meet with Trump??! "Someone should definitely look into that. We only have one government at a time. Trump is violating the Logan Act all over the place and no one does anything about it!"
Mike Kihn added: "How is Trump meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel not a violation of the Logan Act?"
Others also made the same claim while noting that Trump revealed on July 19 that he had spoken with Zelensky on the phone shortly after accepting the Republican 2024 presidential nomination, and they discussed the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"I appreciate President Zelensky for reaching out because I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity."
In response, Democratic podcast host Ryan Shead posted: "Donald Trump has reported himself meeting and speaking with world leaders. That's a violation of the Logan Act. He has done this several times now."
Art Candee, a Chicago-based artist and frequent Trump critic, wrote while sharing headlines reporting on the phone call between Trump and Zelensky: "The headline should read: 'Citizen Trump violated the Logan Act.' Shame on CNN, The New York Times, and all of the useless media reporting otherwise!"
Trump was previously accused of violating the Logan Act after meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The meeting was described by Orbán as a "peace mission" amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Former Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren previously suggested the meeting could have been "possibly illegal," depending on what the pair discussed, but it is unlikely the Logan Act will be used against the former president.
"On foreign policy, it's critical that America speaks with one voice," Warren told Newsweek.
"The Logan Act prohibits individuals taking diplomacy into their own hands or undermining the government's official policy.
"Only two people have ever been charged for Logan Act violations, and Trump won't be the third, but Trump using his camaraderie with U.S. adversaries like Orbán to weaken our foreign policy is possibly illegal and certainly un-American."
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