In an unprecedented case of the tables turning on the left, a Democratic senator from Maryland was caught in potential violation of a 1799 law that was previously used by liberals as the basis for the investigation of former Trump national security adviser General Michael Flynn.
For context, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) recently took a sudden trip to El Salvador on April 14, 2025, to attempt to free Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported El Salvadorian national and an alleged member of the MS-13 gang. However, the senator’s visit to El Salvador was found to be in potential violation of the Logan Act, which enforces a penalty on Americans who correspond with foreign officials in any way that pertains to disputes with the United States.
Additionally, according to the United States Department of Justice, the Logan Act was initially passed after Sen. George Logan of Pennsylvania met with a French Diplomat named Charles de Talleyrand in the wake of a spat between Paris and President John Adams. Logan, seeking to quell the hostilities between the U.S. and France, engaged in “private diplomacy without the authorization of the United States.”
In response to Sen. Van Hollen’s controversial visit to El Salvador, several major conservative figures sounded off online, starting with Republican consultant Roger Stone. Stone wrote on X, “Why hasn’t this U.S. Senator been arrested for violation of the Logan Act? It’s illegal to conduct your own foreign policy.”
Adding to the conversation, conservative radio host Vince Conglianese read the Logan Act on air and asked his audience, “Is Chris Van Hollen violating the Logan Act?” Conglianese continued, “Because this is what they accused General Flynn of doing. [Flynn] was merely having conversations with foreign diplomats [after] people had chosen President Donald Trump.”
Furthermore, Fox News contributor Byron York weighed in on the situation on X, adding an alternative perspective to the conversation. York wrote, “If you’re asking me, I argued a million times during the Michael Flynn matter that the Logan Act is a dead letter. But politically, it’s useful to know that Sen. Van Hollen traveled to a foreign country to bash the President of the United States.”
In response to York’s post, an X user with the handle “Robert” spoke out in support of General Flynn while disputing the claim that the Logan Act is a “dead letter.” Robert wrote, “Calling the Logan Act a dead letter makes sense if it has not been used in over 100 years.” He continued, “When something has been used to try and destroy a man’s life in 2021, then it stops being a relic, a dead letter, or a zombie law.”
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In addition, according to coverage from The New York Times, a group of four Democratic representatives arrived in El Salvador on April 21, 2025, with the same goal as Sen. Van Hollen —pushing for the release of Abrego Garcia. NYT writers Robert Jimison and Annie Correal explained, “The lawmakers said they had not been permitted by Salvadoran officials to meet with Mr. Abrego Garcia themselves.”
Watch Sen. Van Hollen upon arriving in El Salvador:
Featured image credit: Sen. Chris Van Hollen via Instagram