Obama Administration: UN Election Observers “Immune” to State Laws
The Obama Administration made it clear that Texas better not arrest any UN election observers. They claim these observers have full immunity, regardless of state laws. This was in response to a statement Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot issued to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) telling them that their international election-observing representatives will be subject to criminal prosecution if they are found within a hundred feet of a polling place. The State Department’s spokesman (is that word sexist?) Victoria Nuland explained:
“I’m not going to get into any kind of hypothetical situations or predict where this is going to go other than to say we have every expectation that this will be worked out and to state the fact, which is that under U.S. law they are eligible for immunities…[I]f there are concerns that Texas authorities have, they have an opportunity through the direct dialogue that’s now going on in Texas with OSCE observers to take up their concerns. But the mandate of the OSCE is designed to be absolutely and completely impartial, and that’s what we plan on when we participate and that’s what we’d expect here.”
via Obama Administration: UN Election Observers “Immune” to State Laws.
