 In late 1982 , Congress passed a law which forbade the United States from funding groups aiming to overthrow the <unk> government of Nicaragua . Then , in 1983 , Bedell visited Nicaragua and Honduras along with Representative Robert G. <unk> . During the trip , Bedell spoke with soldiers , generals , governmental officials and members of the contras . His conclusion at the end of the trip was that Ronald Reagan was aiding the contras in violation of federal law . He promised to hold hearings after returning to Congress . Bedell would later join other House Democrats in demanding documents from the White House related to the contras , but the Reagan Administration refused to provide them . Bedell became <unk> with the Reagan Administration as the decade wore on . He called his Central American policies " sheer <unk> , " saying that the mining of <unk> was an acts of war . Bedell would retire from Congress before Reagan 's acts in Central America would <unk> with the Iran @-@ <unk> Affair . 
