By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 29 --  When the UN of Ban Ki-moon is asked about bringing cholera to Haiti, the answer is usually, “Our position remains unchanged” -- that is, immunity.  Now it's reported that may change. But when Inner City Press asked on June 1, Ban's spokesman again said, our position has not change. Video here, UN transcript here and below.

On June 29, 158 members of the U.S. Congress wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry asking that he and the State Department make the UN answer for bringing cholera to Haiti, including with reparations to victims.

The letter, here, is sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and Rep. Mia Love (R-UT) and includes 11 other Republicans; half of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs (HCFA) i.e. 22 of its 44 members, including six Republicans; ten of the 14 members of HCFA's Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, four Republicans and six Democrats; and four of the eight members of HCFA’s Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations ("Global Health") Subcommittee, two from each party.

Republican HCFA signatories include former HCFA chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, current Global Health Subcommittee Chair Christopher Smith, and Representatives Daniel Donovan, Michael McCaul, Steve Chabot, and Lee Zeldin. The 16 HCFA Democrats include the respective ranking members of the HCFA itself, Rep. Eliot Engel, and of its Western Hemisphere and Global Health Subcommittees respectively, Representatives Albio Sires, and Karen Bass. We'll have more on this.