John Kerry fired an impudent shot at President Donald Trump for his criticism of the former Secretary of State’s meetings with Iranian officials after he left office.
But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo minced no words in condemning John Kerry’s “unseemly” behavior after his meetings with Iranian diplomats.
Pompeo was asked about Kerry’s “rogue diplomacy” in a press conference at the State Department on Friday, blasting the former secretary of state for “actively undermining” the U.S. by meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
“This is a former secretary of state engaged with the largest state sponsor of terror,” Pompeo said, adding that Kerry’s behavior was “unseemly and unprecedented.”
“You can’t find precedent for this in U.S. history, and Secretary Kerry ought not to engage in that kind of behavior,” he said. “It’s inconsistent with what foreign policy of the United States is as directed by this president, and it is beyond inappropriate for him to be engaged.”
Massive @SecPompeo broadside on @JohnKerry: “unseemly and unprecedented… According to him… he was telling [Iran] to wait out this Administration. Secretary Kerry ought not to engage in that kind of behavior… It’s beyond inappropriate”
— Nick Schifrin (@nickschifrin) September 14, 2018
Kerry’s meetings with Zarif have been widely criticized as the former secretary of state has admitted the two met a few times since he left office, no doubt discussing the 2015 nuclear deal inked under former President Barack Obama which Trump has since scrapped.
“Fox & Friends” guest host Katie Pavlich suggested the administration could file criminal charges against Kerry who is “essentially fraternizing with the enemy while trying to undermine current foreign policy.”
“I think you might see the Trump administration take more official action, maybe some charges against John Kerry,” Pavlich said on “Fox & Friends” Saturday.
Trump torched the potential 2020 presidential candidate in a tweet after he admitted meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister and others without the administration’s knowledge or approval.
John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime, which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people. He told them to wait out the Trump Administration! Was he registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? BAD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2018
Kerry shot back with some snarky tweets referring to Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort who reached a plea deal on Friday to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mr. President, you should be more worried about Paul Manafort meeting with Robert Mueller than me meeting with Iran’s FM. But if you want to learn something about the nuclear agreement that made the world safer, buy my new book, Every Day Is Extra: https://t.co/DKjc33Kvvu https://t.co/cesltkt0zW
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) September 14, 2018
PS – I recorded the audio version, not Omarosa.
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) September 14, 2018
Kerry continued to sass back in an appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
“There’s absolutely nothing unusual about it. The conversation I think he really ought to be worried about is Paul Manafort with Mueller,” he said. “It really is giant, and soon you’ll be hearing him say that is the worst that’s ever been made. When you think about it, it’s really gone from the Art of the Deal to the art of the squeal.”
In his ongoing personal attack on the president, Kerry said Trump’s “got the maturity of an 8-year-old boy with the insecurity of a teenage girl. That’s just who he is.”
When confronted by Fox News host Dana Perino. about whether he has been telling Iranians to wait out the Trump presidency, Kerry did not exactly deny the allegations.
“Everybody in the world is sitting around talking about waiting out President Trump,” he said.
Naturally, liberals have not called out Kerry for what basically amounts to collusion by the Democrat.
“Actively undermining U.S. policy as a former secretary of state is literally unheard of,” Pompeo told reporters, adding that he would leave “legal determinations to others.”
Pompeo says he won’t discuss others “today” but adds that to the extent they are meddling, his admonitions to Kerry apply to them as well.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) September 14, 2018
A spokesman for Kerry shot back that “no secrets were kept from this administration.”
“Secretary Kerry stays in touch with his former counterparts around the world just like every previous secretary of state, and in a long phone conversation with Secretary Pompeo earlier this year he went into great detail about what he had learned about the Iranian’s view,” spokesman Matt Summers said, according to Fox News.
“There’s nothing unusual, let alone unseemly or inappropriate, about former diplomats meeting with foreign counterparts. Secretary Kissinger has done it for decades with Russia and China. What is unseemly and unprecedented is for the podium of the State Department to be hijacked for political theatrics,” he added.
The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway gave that some perspective.
I’m reminded that when Tom Cotton sent a public letter to Iran reminding them of the Senate’s role in ratifying treaties according to the U.S. Constitution, Democrats and their media allies claimed it was a criminal Logan Act violation.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) September 14, 2018
Twitter users unloaded on Kerry’s actions and gave Pompeo a thumbs-up for calling out his predecessor.
What John Kerry, private citizen, has done is illegal, violates US Code and the Logan Act. So why isn’t he in handcuffs and charged with high crimes @SecPompeo? Any other US citizen would be in prison and investigated by numerous federal agencies. Stop the double standard
— Jennifer Hoffman (@Jenniferhoffman) September 15, 2018
John Kerry – “The Rebel Without a Clue.”
— DaveP (@ptd223) September 14, 2018
@JohnKerry so badly wants @realDonaldTrump to fail he literally works for the Iranians against the USA. Unbelievable, where are the cries of Treason from @JohnBrennan
— Sandy Williams (@sandytntn) September 14, 2018
Kerry is no longer Sec of State. There is no reason for him to meet with the Iranian gov’t. His security clearance needs to be revoked & he needs to be prosecuted under the same Logan Act as was General Flynn. If Kerry is, in fact, undermining Trump adm. it is sedition.
— SueK (@Suzely47071267) September 15, 2018
God bless @SecPompeo for addressing this situation. The traitor John Kerry should be tried and punished severely. I’d like to see him doing life in Gitmo so don’t put me on that jury! #KerryCrimesAgainstAmerica #JohnKerryForGitmo #NOSecurityClearancesForObamaAppointees
— ❌ Sofia Covfefe (@PdxPatriot1) September 15, 2018
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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