Washington D.C., May 11, 2010 / 17:09 pm
Three leading U.S. congressmen have requested a federal probe into whether the Obama administration broke federal laws by promoting a proposed Kenyan constitution that “radically” changes abortion policy.
The Obama administration’s advocacy supporting Kenya’s proposed constitution may constitute a “serious violation” of the Siljander Amendment and may be subject to civil and criminal penalties, the lawmakers said.
According to Rep. Smith’s office, the Siljander Amendment, annually included in the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, prohibits lobbying for or against abortion using the funds made available in the act. Penalties for violating the amendment can range from administrative sanctions, such as suspension from duty without pay or removal from office, to sanctions up to a $5,000 fine and imprisonment for up to two years.
Writing to Inspectors General (IG) of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) made the allegations against the U.S. administration.