Gabbard’s trip raised alarms over a potential violation of the Logan Act, a federal statute barring unauthorized individuals from conferring with a foreign government involved in a dispute with the US. She is also a member of the House committee on foreign relations. Gabbard was joined on the trip by former Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich, who has made prior trips to meet Assad that were also funded by Aaccess. Gabbard framed her sit-down meeting with Assad as part of a necessary dialogue in order to resolve the Syrian conflict. “Whatever you think of President Assad, the fact is that he is the president of Syria,” Gabbard said.

Source: The Guardian January 26, 2017 17:58 UTC