@realDonaldTrump has placed a pause in the infliction of a military response to #Iran's #unlawful and #unprovoked attacks on #ships in #internationalwaters and a US #drone in #internationalairspace.

His own explanation?

#Iran
#Trump
#ProportionalResponse
#JohnKerry

As his tweets explain, proposed targets for such response exceeded #proportionality. Setting aside damage to ships in international waters, loss of our drone inflicted between 120 and 180 million $$$$ in loss. Proposed strike might have caused up to 150 lives.

Trump correctly concluded that such a response lacked proportionality. That consideration is important.

Limiting our response to inflicting proportionate damage demonstrates both #wisdom and #justice.

Trump makes a #wise and #just decision because he operates from the position of strength and dispassionate evaluation of all factors.

Now, I'd like @realDonaldTrump to address three questions.

All three questions relate to the role of @JohnKerry in artificially raising a spirit of defiance to international law and US policy in the government of Iran.

First, when will @JohnKerry lose his #securityclearance?

The evidence that #Kerry continues to engage in private negotiations with Iran is undisputed. The contents of those negotiations are not publicly known. Whatever they've involved, those contacts have not calmed tensions.

Revoking his #securityclearance, and doing so publicly, confirms that whatever advice he is giving Iran is based on no understanding or knowledge of classified material.

Second, when will @StateDept #revoke #Kerry's passport?

When Philip Agee announced his intention to injure overseas US intelligence assets by publicly identifying the same, #JimmyCarter's #SecretaryofState, #CyrusVance, revoked Agee's passport.

#Vance's revocation of #Agee's passport -- which the @StateDept justified based on #nationalsecurity of the #USA -- was found to be a lawful act in #HaigvAgee, a decision of the #SCOTUS.

When, as now, the risks of misunderstanding transmogrifying into international hostilities, private diplomacy by a political actor of ill-motivation toward the lawful government of the United States is a clear and present danger to our #nationalsecurity.

Viewed in that light, a decision to revoke @JohnKerry's passport would likely be sustained by the #SCOTUS, no matter what a low-level federal trial court might conclude in the interim.

Finally, @POTUS should inquire of the Attorney General whether @TheJusticeDept should convene a grand jury to consider indicting @JohnKerry for violating the #LoganAct ban on private diplomacy.

Although the #SCOTUS has never directly considered whether the #LoganAct violates the #FirstAmendment #righttofreespeech or other possible bases of unconstitutionality, #Kerry's conduct of private diplomacy presents as sound a case as any for resolving the question.