Donald Trump somehow declared in a statement that he has an “Envoy Ambassador” who traveled to the Kosovo-Serbia border to “highlight” an “important agreement” that his “administration brokered.” The twice-impeached one-term president hasn’t been in power for over a year now, so it left people scratching their heads. Trump’s “ambassador” is Richard Grenell, the former president’s ambassador to Germany. In 2019, one month before losing the election to Joe Biden, Trump named Grenell as a special envoy for peace negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo.
Grenell helped to circulate Trump’s big lie of widespread voter fraud that didn’t take place in the 2020 election. Both the former president and Grenell appear to be violating the Logan Act, a federal law that criminalizes negotiations by unauthorized American citizens with foreign governments.
This is just bizarre:
NEW!
President Trump:
“The great people of Serbia and Kosovo have overcome tremendous obstacles…The agreements my administration brokered are historic and should not be abandoned…Peace is possible, don’t give up—long term prosperity for those two nations is at stake!” pic.twitter.com/6znul33n1N
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) November 11, 2021
Twitter users pounced.
The former president has an envoy ambassador and is conducting foreign policy pic.twitter.com/m60Wkl9gU1
— David Freedlander (@freedlander) November 11, 2021
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That’s uh… illegal https://t.co/AoJZ01Vpd8
— Angry Staffer (@Angry_Staffer) November 11, 2021
Envoy Ambassador is just above Platinum Tier member
But, yes, a former president is dispatching former appointees to foreign countries to engage in foreign policy. https://t.co/aZdymVWoVm
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 11, 2021
Some weird FARA vibes here, particularly given Grenell’s past FARA challenges. https://t.co/Cuulv9UcLN
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) November 11, 2021
Is TFG, now a private citizen, attempting to conduct some act of foreign policy? Without authorization and approval of the official, sitting US Government?
— iam-s-Hon (@hon_iam) November 11, 2021
— Diane Bernaerts 🇧🇪🌊🌊🌊 (@DianeBernaerts) November 11, 2021
He has a pretend envoy ambassador. That’s so adorable.
— colleen (@cowboyangels) November 11, 2021
His envoy? His envoy???? Lolololololololololololo
— nancy mal (@njm4250) November 11, 2021
The Logan Act is a single federal statute making it a crime for a citizen to confer w/foreign govts against the interests of the US. Specifically, it prohibits citizens from negotiating w/other nations on behalf of the US w/out authorization.https://t.co/N5yDJxy0wh
— Maureen Moore (@HopesMom12) November 11, 2021
Unless “Envoy Ambassador” refers to a level of Trump Hotel awards points – this appears to document treason. https://t.co/BczFRI80r7
— David Reiss, M.D. (@DMRDynamics) November 11, 2021
Trump and Grenell appear to be violating the Logan Act. Also, Trump is running his own shadow government. https://t.co/nydPmuaQ1o
— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) November 11, 2021
Look, it’s funny to mock Bloaty McBatshit, but now he’s trying to conduct foreign policy over a year since he was defeated. It’s not funny anymore.
Featured image via Michael Vadon/Flickr, under Creative Commons license 2.0