1. The first paragraph of a news article should answer the questions who, what, where and when. List the who, what, where and when of this news item. (NOTE: The remainder of a news article provides details on the why and/or how.)

2. What position did each man hold in the Obama administration?
a) John Kerry
b) Robert Malley
c) Ernest Moniz

3. What was President Obama’s JCPOA?

4. Why did President Trump pull the U.S. out of the JCPOA?

5. a) How many times/when did John Kerry and other former-Obama administration officials meet with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during President Donald Trump’s presidency?
b) For what reason did private citizens Kerry, Malley and Moniz meet with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif?

6. a) Kerry admitted to some of his meetings as a private citizen with Iran’s Zarif during Trump’s presidency. What did he say the purpose of his meetings were?
b) What do you think of Mr. Kerry’s explanation?

7. a) Who is Wendy Sherman?
b) For what position in his administration has President Biden nominated Ms. Sherman?

8. In 2018, columnist Cal Thomas wrote of then private citizen John Kerry’s actions meeting with Iran’s leaders:

Obama’s former secretary of state, John Kerry, has been behaving as if he’s still in office. Kerry, writes the Boston Globe, “engaged in some unusual shadow diplomacy” with Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, at the United Nations in New York, reportedly to try and salvage the Iran nuclear deal they “spent years negotiating.”

The Logan Act (a federal law signed by President John Adams in 1799) forbids private citizens “from engaging in unauthorized correspondence with foreign governments” that have “any disputes or controversies with the United States.” That includes direct or indirect correspondence, unauthorized meetings or discussions, any contact at all. Violation can result in a fine, up to three years in prison, or both.

Is John Kerry an authorized person? No. Is Iran a foreign government? Yes. Does Iran have a “dispute” with the United States? It does. Has John Kerry committed a criminal offense? The chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), has called for Kerry to be arrested for violating the Logan Act. That is unlikely to happen.

Read the “Background” and check out the links under “Resources” below.

John Kerry has been appointed to a new position “Climate Envoy” by President Biden.
a) What do you think of Mr. Kerry’s meetings with American enemies during President Trump’s tenure? (A huge story, or, nothing to see here?) Explain your answer.
b) Do you think these former Obama officials actions should affect President Biden’s decision to appoint them to positions of power in his administration? Why or why not - explain your answer.

CHALLENGE: Mr. O’Neil asked: “Did the Obama administration architects of the Iran deal carry out a “shadow diplomacy” with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism in order to undermine President Trump, hoping that a Democrat would win in 2020 and return them to power? Did they work with the Iran lobby behind the scenes? This report suggests the answers to those questions are “yes,” but the details are yet to be forthcoming.”
Follow this story in the news for further updates.