Did Barack Obama Violate The Logan Act With British PM Meeting?

Former U.S. President Barack Obama was spotted today outside of 10 Downing Street, the residence of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, this morning. The former President has reportedly taken a meeting with Prime Minister amidst ongoing drama in the Royal Family.

Obama also reportedly met with the Belgian Royal Family earlier this week.

King Charles is currently undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. Rumors continue to swirl around Kate Middleton, and her sudden lack of appearance in public. Middleton underwent abdominal surgery in January, and has not been spotted in public since.

Obama Arrives At 10 Downing Street pic.twitter.com/wPy4H9HXi0

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At the meeting with former President Barack Obama on 10 Downing Street today was US Ambassador Jane D. Hartley.

Obama exits 10 Downing Street With U.S. Ambassador Jane D. Hartley pic.twitter.com/m5ri4pyWvZ

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Many internet users have alleged that former President Obama may have violated the Logan Act by taking this meeting. The Logan Act, originally conceived in 1799, criminalizes unauthorized American citizens negotiating with foreign governments.

In 2018, Obama’s former Secretary of State John Kerry was accused of this very same crime. Kerry met with Iranian government officials in 2018, during President Trump’s term, to ensure that the deal he had negotiated with the Iranians under the Obama Administration had remained intact.

Kerry, who was not a U.S. government official at the time of the meeting, was in clear violation of the Logan Act. The Department of Justice at the time reportedly pressured several U.S. Attorney’s to prosecute Kerry for his clear violation.

Kerry, who would later go on to serve as Joe Biden‘s ‘Climate Envoy,’ never truly received any real punishment for his violation of the Logan Act.

While it’s important to ask the question, the Logan Act clearly states that the country that the citizen is negotiating with be a “having a dispute with the United States.” To our knowledge, there is no current dispute between the U.K. and the U.S., neither is there a conflict between Belgium and the U.S.

In Kerry’s situation, Iran was the nation at question, making the charge of a violation of the Logan Act extremely clear. It does not appear that President Obama violated the Logan Act with this visit, however, his meeting does signal problems-to-come for the Biden Administration.

Why is President Barack Obama meeting with world leaders instead of Joe Biden, and furthermore, what are these meetings about? Is Obama working as an intermediary between the White House and foreign nations?

If so, why has he not been publicly acknowledged as an ambassador of the White House? Do regulations and rules regarding official representatives of the U.S. government enforceable against Barack Obama, who is not technically a State official at this time?

Right now, there are more questions than answers, but it does not appear that Barack Obama violated the Logan Act by meeting with Sunak.