DeMint Trip to Honduras Back On? Travel Authorized after Senate Leadership Intervenes
EmailABC News' Viviana Hurtado reports: Senator Jim DeMint’s trip to Honduras, which was blocked by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry (D-MA), is back on,
A senior DeMint staffer tells ABC News, but only after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) became involved. The Kentucky lawmaker used his leadership position to authorize DeMint’s trip through the Department of Defense, and not the State Department, which is customary for Senate overseas travel.
DeMint who supports the de facto government, accuses the Democrats of “playing politics.” In a statement, the South Carolina Republican says, “These bullying tactics by the Obama administration and Senator Kerry must stop, and we must be allowed to get to the truth in Honduras. Not a single U.S. Senator has traveled to Honduras to learn the facts on the ground. And the Obama administration won't allow Honduran officials or even businessmen to come to the U.S., either. While this administration has failed to act decisively in Afghanistan, it is has no problem cracking down on a democratic ally and one of the poorest nations in Latin America."
Senators Kerry and DeMint are most recently at odds over the nomination of Arturo Valenzuela to be the next Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs and Tom Shannon, the current Assistant Secretary and nominee to be Ambassador to Brazil. In the case of Valenzuela, DeMint was not pleased with what he interpreted as Valenzuela’s lack of knowledge about the Honduran crisis that led to the June ouster of President Manuel Zelaya, who the Obama Administration backs. Valenzuela, who served the Clinton Administration and has taught politics at Duke and Georgetown universities, is considered an authority in Latin American politics.
Senator Kerry gives DeMint “an A for ‘audacity.’” In a statement, the senior Senator from Massachusetts says, “Thanks to his intransigence, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee can’t even hold hearings on our policy in Central and South America. Sen. DeMint is blocking the nominations of two key officials who will implement President Obama’s foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.” The Senator continues, “When Senator DeMint lifts these holds and allows these individuals to receive an up or down vote on the Senate floor, the Committee will approve his travel to Honduras, a country that is in the middle of delicate, political crisis.”
Senator DeMint is scheduled to travel to Honduras on Friday as the head of a Congressional delegation that includes: Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), and Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) to meet with the de facto President Roberto Micheletti and some Honduran lawmakers.
ABC News' Kirit Radia contributed to this report.
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Demint is just angling for some agit-prop.
Posted by: Steve J. | October 1, 2009, 8:51 pm 8:51 pm
Every day it’s somthing. I cannot imagine what would have happened had a Democrat pulled this under Cheney/Bush. No respect for channels or protocol at all.
Posted by: Joseph D | October 1, 2009, 10:05 pm 10:05 pm
I watched this story tonight on your show Rachel…That was the straw that broke the camels back for me as a Kentucky resident. Below is the letter I sent to Mitch McConnels office. Thought you might like to know what I had to say to him:
Mitch McConnel-Subject: DeMint trip to Honduras.
So now you are using your leadership position to authorize DeMint’s trip through the Department of Defense, and not the State Department, which is customary for Senate overseas travel. Keep it up Mitch! You are going against the law to do whatever you feel is in your partys best interest and not the interest of the country. I have been documenting your behavior since our President has been elected. Be prepared to lose your Senate seat in the next election! You haven’t seen community organization like I am about to implement. The power of the internet will have you sweeping streets in the ghettos you created, when Kentucky manhandles your Mafia mentality and kicks you to the curb. Put your ego in check and serve the people or your days are numbered in the Senate. You have my word of honor when I say that. You are a disgrace to America and a thorn in the ass of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Posted by: Doug | October 1, 2009, 10:10 pm 10:10 pm
Why would US officials not want to learn the story of the Hondouran “coup” from both sides, like most other countries are doing.
Posted by: Just sayin' | October 1, 2009, 10:11 pm 10:11 pm
Has Senator DeMint never heard of the Logan Law? DeMint is going to undermine official US policies. He should not be allowed to go and be strongly punished for his efforts.
Posted by: Jen | October 1, 2009, 10:29 pm 10:29 pm
Sorry, Andy, this is not about what is going on in the country you choose to live in. This is about blocking people that our President wants to appoint to certain posts.
Perhaps you can’t see that because you are not here in our country.
Posted by: Michelle | October 1, 2009, 11:06 pm 11:06 pm
Hey Jim, don’t hurry back.
Posted by: B.Bear | October 1, 2009, 11:16 pm 11:16 pm
Sorry Michelle, you are wrong. DeMint needs to find out and report back to us about what is going on in the country.
Andy knows what the truth is as do I.
You have decided you don’t want to deal with the truth.Thank God for DeMint.
Posted by: Polly | October 1, 2009, 11:21 pm 11:21 pm
I keep trying to post this and then it keeps getting taken down. I’m reposting with corrections looking for that magic trip word.
There are some things about this article that don’t make much sense.
One, the purpose of the Sen DeMint trip is going to Honduras to observe in advance of the constitutionally scheduled elections Nov 29th where the Honduras people will elect their new President.
Does anybody else find it quite odd that this article fails to mention this basic point?
Two, it states that DeMint was not pleased with what he interpreted as Mr Valenzuela’s lack of knowledge and then cites Valenzuala’s expertise credentials. This article is worded is as if to blame DeMint.
You can go watch the video on the internet yourself. Under simple questioning from DeMint about Honduras, Mr Valenzuela plainly stated that HE did not know the details about the situtation in Honduras.
THAT ANSWER is what Sen DeMint was not pleased with.
People can decide whether he knew things and didn’t want to comment his views on record (as I believe), or he really didn’t know.
Posted by: Ke Ja | October 1, 2009, 11:22 pm 11:22 pm
The idea that the head of the Foreign Relations Committee does not want a Senator in the US Congress to go on a fact-finding mission to a country in the midst of a crisis is disturbing.
What is Kerry afraid DeMint will find out?
Posted by: Soylent Green is People | October 2, 2009, 12:39 am 12:39 am
When was Kerry appointed Travel Czar?
Posted by: DaMav | October 2, 2009, 1:38 am 1:38 am
What the heck? Since when does a senator undermine the official US stance on foreign policy? I swear, is there NOTHING the republican’s won’t pull anymore? And dang if I don’t log on here and see people taking up for this? Is everything just nuts now?
Posted by: secondlook | October 2, 2009, 2:27 am 2:27 am
“One, the purpose of the Sen DeMint trip is going to Honduras to observe in advance of the constitutionally scheduled elections Nov 29th where the Honduras people will elect their new President.”……. That’s funny, if you’ll seek out his statement out on line you’ll see he has already made up his mind about this and will be promoting something that goes against the official stance the US is already promoting. In other words – it’s to undermine the President.
Posted by: Secondlook | October 2, 2009, 6:25 am 6:25 am
What exactly will DeMint find out when getting there? Is he going to inspect Honduras? This trip will be about schmoozing, nothing more.
Posted by: Rich | October 2, 2009, 10:15 am 10:15 am
Here is what John Kerry said in an official statement at the OAS emergency meeting on Honduras:
“America values its longstanding partnership with Honduras, but a push to rewrite the constitution over the objections of Honduras’s top court, legislature, attorney general, and military is deeply disturbing.”
Shouldn’t the congress be investigating these “disturbing” actions? Actually, the congressional research service already did, and found the removal constitutional. Kerry’s own words prove the need for DeMint’s trip, and prove the administration to be on the wrong side of 15-0.
Viva Honduras! Viva 15-0!
Posted by: Karateka | October 2, 2009, 10:17 am 10:17 am
All of you talking about this Logan law and a Senator is undermining the govt need to remember theat Fat man Ted Kennedy, and multiple others who have done the exact same thing. This coup in Honduras was not a coup read the constitution. America needs to remember we defend democracies not dictators. Demint needs to bring back the truth and school Obama on what is a coup or not, after all Obama said we should not interfere with other countries.
Posted by: Mr. Black | October 2, 2009, 10:26 am 10:26 am
“Has Senator DeMint never heard of the Logan Law? DeMint is going to undermine official US policies. He should not be allowed to go and be strongly punished for his efforts.”
Hey, Jen,
Where were you and the Logan Law when Jimmy Carter was traveling the world, undermining Bush’s foreign policy in Latin America and the Middle East?
Posted by: Gene in NYC | October 2, 2009, 12:20 pm 12:20 pm
Doesn’t anyone here remember when Speaker Pelosi went to Syria in contravention of President Bush’s foreign policy?
Sad to say, the days of “partisanship ends at the water’s edge” are long over, having been buried by implacable Democratic hostility to President Bush, and there’s no resurrecting them now.
Posted by: DBL | October 2, 2009, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm