 In late 1982 , Congress passed a law which forbade the United States from funding groups aiming to overthrow the Sandinista government of Nicaragua . Then , in 1983 , Bedell visited Nicaragua and Honduras along with Representative Robert G. Torricelli . 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 angrier with the Reagan Administration as the decade wore on . He called his Central American policies " sheer lunacy , " saying that the mining of harbors was an acts of war . Bedell would retire from Congress before Reagan 's acts in Central America would culminate with the Iran @-@ Contra Affair . 
