Group demands ethics probe into Dem pol who flew to El Salvador to aid suspected MS-13 member

A blimpish watchdog is demanding an morals probe into Sen. Chris Van Hollen for allegedly “assisting a overseas violent organization” by going to El Salvador to effort to thief free an accused MS-13 gangbanger.

The American Accountability Foundation fired disconnected a missive to Senate leaders Thursday underscoring nan Trump administration’s accusations astir Kilmar Abrego Garcia having ties to nan barbaric transnational pack and demanding that nan Senate garbage to salary for nan travel by Van Hollen (D-Md.).

“Mr. Abrego-Garcia is fundamentally an force combatant successful nan ongoing penetration of nan United States by transnational gangs,” AAF President Thomas Jones wrote to nan heads of nan Senate Ethics Committee and Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) successful a missive obtained by The Post.

“Despite nan overwhelming evidence, Senator Van Hollen decided that he would usage Senate costs to alert to El Salvador and advocator for an force of nan United States,” nan missive said.

It is not afloat clear really overmuch successful Senate costs Van Hollen utilized connected his travel Wednesday to El Salvador. The Dem flew to nan Latin American state successful a bid to push for nan merchandise of Abrego Garcia, an forbidden migrant had been surviving successful Maryland earlier his deportation.

AFF is asking for Thune to instruct nan caput of nan Senate not to ft nan measure for Van Hollen’s travel and wants nan Senate Ethics Committee to probe nan legislator for imaginable violations of nan Logan Act, which makes it forbidden for unauthorized citizens to discuss pinch overseas governments.

“Van Hollen was successful El Salvador gathering pinch leaders of nan Salvadorian authorities to effort to unafraid Mr. Garcia’s release,” Jones wrote successful nan letter. “It is difficult to ideate a much dispute intrusion into U.S. overseas argumentation than attempting to smuggle a overseas force combatant into nan United States.”

Abrego Garcia, 29, lived successful Maryland earlier being deported to El Salvador past period alongside astir 260 different alleged gangbangers nether President Trump’s usage of warfare powers successful nan 18th period Alien and Enemies Act. Similar Trump efforts person been put connected pause, pending litigation.

Abrego Garcia entered nan US illegally successful 2011.

Van Hollen antecedently met pinch Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez, who is an American national and who was revealed to person revenge a impermanent protective bid against him successful 2021, alleging he “punched and scratched” her, “grabbed and bruised” her, and “ripped off” her shirt.

The Maryland legislator claims he made a committedness to Vasquez that he would conflict to bring backmost Abrego Garcia.

During his travel Wednesday, nan legislator was turned distant from visiting nan Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) megaprison analyzable and wasn’t capable to pass straight pinch Abrego Garcia astatine each during nan trip, though he met pinch El Salvador Vice President Félix Ulloa.

Abrego Garcia’s deportation past period came contempt a 2019 tribunal bid restricting nan US authorities from sending him to El Salvador owed to fears that he could look persecution from groups including nan Barrio 18 gang.

Initially, successful a March 31 filing, nan Trump management stated that Abrego Garcia’s removal was owed to an “administrative error” and a “clerical error.” Publicly, apical Trump management officials person since faulted lawyers for making that claim.

The Trump management besides claimed successful tribunal documents that nan 29-year-old is “confirmed to beryllium a ranking personnel of nan MS-13 pack by a proven and reliable source.” On Wednesday, nan Justice Department released a constabulary study besides suggesting Abrego Garcia was a personnel of MS-13.

The Trump management alleges that Abrego Garcia was discovered having “rolls of rate and drugs” erstwhile he was detained and that he had been “arrested pinch 2 different members of MS-13.”

The Post has reached retired to reps for Thune, Van Hollen and nan Senate Ethics Committee for comment.

“I won’t extremity trying,” Van Hollen declared during his travel to El Salvador. “This is an unsustainable and cruel moment. So it cannot proceed this way.”

“I want to stress that President Trump and our lawyer wide Pam Bondi and nan vice president of nan United States are lying erstwhile they opportunity that Abrego Garcia has been charged pinch a crime aliases is portion of MS-13,” nan legislator continued. “That is simply a lie.”

White House property caput Karolin Leavitt ripped Van Hollen’s actions arsenic “appalling” during a property arena Wednesday and introduced Patty Morin, whose girl Rachel was savagely raped and murdered by an forbidden migrant successful 2023. Rachel Morin was a Maryland constituent.

“To person a legislator from Maryland who didn’t moreover admit aliases hardly acknowledged my girl and nan sadistic decease that she endured, leaving her 5 children without a mother, to usage my taxation money to alert to El Salvador to bring backmost a personification … I conscionable don’t understand this,” Patty Morin lamented during her somber remarks.

El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has called demands that nan Latin American state return Abrego Garcia to nan US “preposterous.”

More legislature Democrats person expressed liking successful heading to El Salvador, specified arsenic Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).

Last week, nan US Supreme Court ordered nan Trump management to return steps “to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s merchandise from custody successful El Salvador and to guarantee that his lawsuit is handled arsenic it would person been had he not been improperly sent” there.