U.S. Republican Congressmen Go To Honduras After Sen. Kerry Tries To Shut Down The Trip

Friday, October 02, 2009
Two IL Congressmen leave for Honduras fact-finding trip
Despite attempts by Senator John Kerry to shut down DeMint's fact-finding trip, IL Congressmen Peter Roskam and Aaron Schock are headed to Central America today to gather info for Congress about Honduras upcoming election preparations. From Roskam's office:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, announced that he will lead a delegation of U.S. Congressmen to Honduras today. The group will include U.S. Representatives Peter Roskam (R-Illinois), Aaron Schock (R-Illinois), and Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado). They plan to meet with Honduran President Roberto Micheletti, members of the Honduran Supreme Court, election officials, and Honduran business and civic leaders.

“I look forward to meeting with Honduran government officials about their continued efforts to ensure a free, fair, and uncompromised election this November,” said Congressman Peter Roskam. “These values are sacred to any functioning democracy, and are especially important in Honduras where they are geographically susceptible to the aggressive dictatorial regime of Hugo Chavez.”

Yesterday, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) attempted to block the delegation’s trip at the last minute, denying committee approval. However, late Thursday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) intervened and approved the trip to allow the Senator and Congressmen to assess the facts on the ground in Honduras.(The Illinois Review)