Nancy Pelosi Accuses Trump Of Putting US Troops’ Lives At Risk After He Revealed Secret Afghanistan Trip
The fight between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump continued on Friday, when she claimed he threatened both her security and the lives of U.S. Troops as he publicly announced that he would be canceling her top-secret trip to Afghanistan.
Citing warnings by employees at the U.S. State Department, a spokesperson for Pelosi claimed the information given away by Trump had escalated the threat level to the delegation flying to the Middle Eastern country, as well as to the military officials who were both supporting the journey and working on location. As reported by the Daily Mail, Drew Hammill accused the president of posing a “grave” risk to House Democrats’ personal security in a statement regarding the canceled trip.
“After President Trump revoked the use of military aircraft to travel to Afghanistan, the delegation was prepared to fly commercially to proceed with this vital trip to meet with our commanders and troops on the front lines,” Hammill explained.
“In the middle of the night, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service provided an updated threat assessment detailing that the president announcing this sensitive travel had significantly increased the danger to the delegation and to the troops, security, and other officials supporting the trip,” the spokesman said, adding that the Trump administration had also leaked the commercial travel plans on Friday morning.
Poll: Trump approval drops among his closest supporters as shutdown continues https://t.co/xmYtqavjfB pic.twitter.com/2ZwHWjn41a
— The Hill (@thehill) January 18, 2019
On Twitter, Trump blasted Pelosi — a California Democrat representing the Bay Area in Congress — deeming her now-canceled visit to the troops in Afghanistan a “seven day excursion,” and claiming that she and other House Democrats were trying to “leave the country” as the government shutdown continues. Pelosi and other lawmakers had been scheduled to visit the Middle Eastern country by way of Brussels on Thursday, and they were even spotted waiting on a bus outside the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in the afternoon as they prepared for the trip.
However, she was forced to stay in Washington after White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a letter from Trump that announced the government-funded trip had been postponed, recalling their military jet. In his letter, Trump blamed the shutdown situation for the fact that he was remanding her plane, a move that was considered retaliation for the fact that Pelosi had requested the previous day that he delay his State of the Union speech until the government is fully reopened.
The president and House Democrats have been locking horns since Congress decided to maintain its decision not to fund Trump’s wish for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The partial shutdown, which has been going on since December 22, has now become the longest shutdown in the country’s history.
