Reply #5: Sen. Kerry blocks DeMint trip to Honduras "Obama admin using bullying tactics to hide truth,”

[L. Coyote]

Kerry blocks DeMint trip to Honduras
By Jordan Fabian - 10/01/09 05:55 PM ET - http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/61247-kerry-blocks-demint-delegation-to-honduras


Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has blocked Sen. Jim DeMint’s (R-S.C.) trip to Honduras slated to begin Friday, according to DeMint's office.

But the chairman's office claimed that the DeMint trip was stopped because the South Carolina Republican is blocking two of President Barack Obama's nominations: Auturo Valenzuela, Obama’s nominee to be assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Tom Shannon, the current assistant secretary and nominee to be ambassador to Brazil.

DeMint’s office informed The Hill of Kerry’s decision Thursday afternoon.

On Thursday morning, the freshman Republican announced that he would lead a congressional delegation to Honduras on Friday ahead of the country’s Nov. 29 elections. The U.S. State Department, which acknowledges ousted President Manuel Zelaya as the legitimate ruler of the Central American nation, has said it will not recognize the contests because of ongoing political turmoil.

“No U.S. Senator has yet been to Honduras to assess facts of crisis. (Kerry) & Obama admin using bullying tactics to hide truth,” DeMint, who also sits on the Foreign Relations panel, said on Twitter ....

.......... DeMint has long objected to the Obama administration's response to the crisis, saying they should shun Zelaya, not promote his return to power. ...........