John Kerry: Trump's Logan Act Accusations a 'Presidential Lie'

Former Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday flatly denied President Donald Trump's accusations that he and Sen. Chris Murphy are in violation of violating the federal Logan Act for negotiating with foreign governments, including Iran. 

"That is once again, another presidential lie, a complete effort by the president to distort reality because he would know I didn't negotiate with anybody," Kerry told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "I did what any senator and secretaries of state have done, which is continuing to go to conferences abroad in order to be well-informed."

Trump Thursday slammed Kerry and Murphy, D-Conn., on Twitter, accusing them of having "grossly violated the Logan Act with respect to Iran. If a Republican did what they did, there would be very serious ramifications!"

Murphy met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif last week on the sidelines of an international security conference in Germany. Murphy defended the meeting, saying it is “dangerous not to talk to one’s enemies."

Kerry also has come under fire for meeting with Zarif, but on Thursday said Trump should focus on his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and his "very direct negotiations" in Ukraine "to try to subterfuge foreign policy."

Trump has said Giuliani, as his attorney, has the right to see information concerning Hunter Biden, show co-host Ed Henry remarked, but Kerry shot back that the president's personal attorney "should not be meeting with people who have now been indicted, who have broken the law, and who are engaged in activities with the president's personal lawyer."

Meanwhile, the United States was at the brink of war with Iran in recent months, but Trump "farmed out" the decision to Iran. 

"It didn't happen because Iran happened not to kill an American when they responded," he said. "If they had, we would've been that war. That means the decision of whether to go to war was in fact dependent on the response of a country that is the regime none of us like."

Related stories:

• Columnist: Kerry Should Be Investigated for Violating Logan Act
• Flynn Never Violated Logan Act