Little-Noticed DOJ Memo Says Administration Can Ignore Meetings Ban

A little-noticed Justice Department memorandum asserts that the Obama administration can ignore a law barring U.S. officials from attending meetings led by nations considered to be sponsors of terrorism.

Relying on the opinion, the State Department sent representatives to United Nations sessions on population and development that were led by Iran, the New York Times reports.

The opinion (PDF) by David Barron, the acting head of the Office of Legal Counsel, said the law unconstitutionally infringes on the president’s authority to conduct diplomacy. The restriction was tacked onto the State Department’s budget bill.

Barron wrote that previous administrations have taken a similar stance.