ADVERTISEMENT

    Sen. Portman Signed the Cotton Letter But Is Probably Not A Traitor

    Ohio Senator Rob Portman was among 47 Republican senators who signed an open letter to the leaders of Iran advising against the nuclear agreement proposed by the Obama Administration. Tom Cotton, junior senator from Arkansas who has held office for little more than two months, composed the letter, which is being called an unprecedented legislative foray into foreign affairs, historically the realm of the president.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The letter advises Iranian leaders that they “may not fully understand our constitutional system” and warns Iran that unless Congress ratifies a treaty, it represents “a mere executive agreement” and that a future president could revoke any agreement between Obama and the Ayatollah “with the stroke of a pen.”

    Whether Cotton and the other signers of the letter really intended to educate the Iranian government on the complexities of the U.S. Constitution, or intended, as many suspect, to sabotage the negotiations, the letter has been met with a large amount of derision from various sources.

    For his part, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif did not appear to take the letter very seriously. According to a press release from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Zarif suspected “that the authors not only do not understand international law, but are not fully cognizant of the nuances of their own Constitution when it comes to presidential powers in the conduct of foreign policy.”

    Zarif was educated primarily in the United States and perhaps did not need to be informed on how the Constitution works.

    Americans have given the letter mixed-to-negative reviews thus far. The hashtag #47Traitors has been trending on Twitter for days, with participants suggesting that the senators’ interference with the president’s foreign policy is tantamount to treason. Seven petitions have appeared on the WhiteHouse.gov website calling on the Obama Administration to charge the senators with a federal crime, including one that has already crossed the 100,000 signature threshold to require an official White House response.

    There is almost no chance of Rob Portman, or any of the other letter signers, actually being charged with a crime. Democrats, WhiteHouse.gov petitioners and the #47Traitors tweeters point to the Logan Act, a little-known and rarely enforced 18th century law prohibiting any unauthorized citizen from conducting foreign policy, as evidence that Cotton’s team violated federal law. No one has ever been prosecuted under the Logan Act and it is largely considered one of those vestigial, “no-lawn-mowing-on-Sundays” types of laws.

    So Ohio’s junior senator is safe from a treason charge, but as he faces reelection, his main Democratic opponent has jumped on Portman’s signing of the infamous letter. According to The Columbus Dispatch, former Governor Ted Strickland said Portman “owes Ohioans an apology” and called the attempt to sabotage the Iran deal a “reckless political stunt.” The letter’s impact could easily dissipate by the 2016 U.S. Senate elections, but Portman’s critics and opponents will likely try to keep the unprecedented nature of 47 senators fiddling with a nuclear peace deal on the minds of Ohioans until then.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Ohio Weather is Getting Weirder. Is It Time to Talk About Climate Change?

    For two years running, Ohio has seen what used to be rare February tornadoes, followed by a deadly outbreak just last week. But news coverage of the twisters almost completely omitted any mention of climate change.

    Demand Grows for Ohio’s Private School Voucher Program

    There have been more than 91,100 applications for Ohio’s private school voucher expansion program so far this school year — a dramatic increase compared to previous years. 

    Will Ohio Ever End Gerrymandering?

    Some of the leaders of a campaign to reform redistricting in Ohio say the process of drawing districts may be complicated, but making necessary changes to end gerrymandering isn’t: “Political insiders have no business being in the process.”

    Ohio Colleges Impacted by Supreme Court’s Anti-Diversity Ruling

    At least seven Ohio public universities are reviewing scholarships in the wake of comments Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost made about race-based scholarships after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions. 

    The Confluence Cast: Grave Matters – Unearthing the North Graveyard

    There is often a complex interplay between preservation and progress. A year into his exploration, Columbus Underground reporter Jesse Bethea continues to sift through the story of how the removal of remains from what was once the North Market parking lot unfolded. From the contentious removal of centuries-old graves to the forensic analysis of unearthed remains, today’s episode navigates the ethical, legal, and emotional complexities surrounding the issue.  In the quest to honor the past while embracing the future, we examine what lies beneath the surface of urban development and confront the ghosts of history that still shape our city today.
    Jesse Bethea
    Jesse Betheahttps://columbusunderground.com
    Jesse Bethea is a freelance features writer at Columbus Underground covering neighborhood issues, economics, science, technology and other topics. He is a graduate from Ohio University, a native of Fairfax, Virginia and a fan of movies, politics and baseball. Jesse is the winner of The Great Novel Contest and the author of Fellow Travellers, available now at all major retailers.
    ADVERTISEMENT