Trump was mad at the media coverage over being uninvited to deliver the State Of The Union, so he canceled Nancy Pelosi’s travel to countries that she wasn’t visiting.
Trump claimed that Pelosi was going to Egypt. She was not. Pelosi was going to Brussels so that their pilot could rest. Pelosi was going to Afghanistan to gather critical intelligence information.
Here is the letter that Trump sent to Pelosi:
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Speaker Pelosi’s office set the record straight:
The CODEL to Afghanistan included a required stop in Brussels for pilot rest. In Brussels, the delegation was scheduled to meet with top NATO commanders, U.S. military leaders and key allies–to affirm the United States’ ironclad commitment to the NATO alliance. (1/4)
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 17, 2019
This weekend visit to Afghanistan did not include a stop in Egypt. (2/4)
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 17, 2019
The purpose of the trip was to express appreciation & thanks to our men & women in uniform for their service & dedication, & to obtain critical national security & intelligence briefings from those on the front lines. (3/4)
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 17, 2019
The President traveled to Iraq during the Trump Shutdown as did a Republican CODEL led by Rep. Zeldin. (4/4)
— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 17, 2019
To summarize, the White House made it sound like Pelosi was going on a trip and keeping the House out of session while the government is shut down. This was a false claim. The House will be back in session on Tuesday. Pelosi canceled Representatives district work period next week and is keeping the House in session. Pelosi wasn’t going on a PR trip that was going to keep the House out of session. Trump lied. It was a trip to see the troops and gather information about the war in Afghanistan.
Trump got it all wrong and in the process humiliated himself by canceling a trip he made up details for. The bottom line is that if Donald Trump wants the government to open all he has to do is agree to fund it.
The shutdown is Donald Trump’s problem. Speaker Pelosi is waiting for him to say yes.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
