Ted Cruz Disagrees With John Brennan Over Logan Act Characterization

On November 10th Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz questioned former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe at a full committee hearing examining his role in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation and the FBI’s FISA abuses.

Cruz grilled McCabe over the double standard in whether Joe Biden violated the Logan Act by speaking with foreign leaders about his forthcoming policy agenda.

Biden cited how the fired FBI deputy director authorizing using it back in 2017 as a “bogus political persecution and prosecution” to go after Gen. Flynn.

Yesterday, Brennan tagged Cruz in a tweet and said that he “is now misrepresenting the Logan Act. Apparently, he is a poor Senator & a bad lawyer.”

“A private citizen publicly criticizing what could be a state-sponsored assassination of a government official & cautioning against retaliatory killing is called freedom of speech,” Brennan continued.

Brennan believes, “In contrast, an individual tapped to be National Security Advisor (but not yet one) in an incoming Administration who privately contacts a foreign government official & advises how to conduct relations with the U.S. could be in violation of the Logan Act.”

“My commitment to Israel’s security & my efforts to counter Iran’s malign activities are well documented throughout my 33 years of national security work serving Republican & Democratic Administrations,” Brennan added and wondered, “Aside from his tiresome rhetoric, what has Senator Cruz ever done?”

.@tedcruz is now misrepresenting the Logan Act. Apparently, he is a poor Senator & a bad lawyer. A private citizen publicly criticizing what could be a state-sponsored assassination of a government official & cautioning against retaliatory killing is called freedom of speech.

— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) November 28, 2020

My commitment to Israel's security & my efforts to counter Iran’s malign activities are well documented throughout my 33 years of national security work serving Republican & Democratic Administrations.

Aside from his tiresome rhetoric, what has Senator Cruz ever done?

— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) November 28, 2020

Today, Cruz responded back to the former CIA Director and said, “Ok, let’s apply your proffered standard: Ben Rhodes has publicly stated, ‘foreign leaders are already having phone calls with Joe Biden, talking about the agenda they’re going to pursue on Jan. 20.’

Cruz asked, “Does that mean you think Joe Biden should be prosecuted under the Logan Act?”

“The only coherent answer is NO, neither Biden nor Gen. Flynn violated the Logan Act bc it’s unconstitutional—which is why nobody has been convicted of violating it in the history of the US,” Cruz believes.

Cruz concluded, “But you want to use it as a partisan cudgel, a weapon to attack your political opponents.”

The only coherent answer is NO, neither Biden nor Gen. Flynn violated the Logan Act bc it’s unconstitutional—which is why nobody has been convicted of violating it in the history of the US.

But you want to use it as a partisan cudgel, a weapon to attack your political opponents.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 28, 2020