U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, talks with Palestinian Saeb Erekat, a senior Abbas aide, second left, next to Palestinian ambassador in France Salman El Herfi after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a hotel in Paris France, Saturday, July 30, 2016. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Reports from Israel indicate that John Kerry has sort of signed on as an unofficial adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority:

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry told close associate of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas not to yield to US President Donald Trump’s demands during peace negotiations, Hebrew newspaper Ma’ariv has revealed.

According to the report, Kerry met Hussein Agha, a senior advisor to the PA, in London this week during which Kerry conveyed a message to Abbas to “hold on and be strong”.

“Tell him that he should stay strong in his spirit and play for time, that he will not break and will not yield to President Trump’s demands,” he said.

Kerry went on to say that he did not believe President Trump would remain in office much longer, and offered to help the Palestinians advance the peace process, recommending that Abbas present his own peace plan.

“Maybe it is time for the Palestinians to define their peace principles and present a positive plan,” he suggested.

He advised the PA not to attack the US or the Trump Administration, but rather focus on Trump as an individual, whom Kerry considers solely responsible for the current situation.

Kerry further hinted that many in the US establishment, as well as in the intelligence community, are dissatisfied with Trump’s performance as president. He also informed Agha that he was seriously considering running for president himself in 2020.

Now think back just a few months after the election and the furor over Mike Flynn talking to the Russian ambassador about potential U.S. actions on various sanctions. What was the topic? You couldn’t turn on your computer without stumbling across some expert claiming that Flynn had violated the Logan Act. Nevermind that Flynn was on the federal payroll as part of Trump’s transition team and as the designated National Security Adviser had full authority to talk to whoever he wanted to talk to and wheel and deal as he saw fit.

Here we have John Kerry, someone who is not even remotely connected to the U.S. government by anything other than his pension check, encouraging Mahmoud Abbas to not cooperate with the foreign policy of the United States. His teaser about running for president (make it true!) could even be interpreted as “hold out and if I’m elected I’ll give you what you want.”

I think the Logan Act is facially unconstitutional. The fact that no one gets charged under it is sort of an indicator that I’m on firm ground in my belief. But, if there were ever a cut-and-dried case of violating that law, Kerry just pulled it off. And where are the media who were demanding Mike Flynn be prosecuted for violating the Logan Act? What do we hear from the valiant defenders of the U.S. Constitution? Crickets. Little, tiny, invisible crickets.