Trump strikes back at Pelosi after a day of silence

[redleghunter]

The president abruptly yanks Pelosi's international trip after she pulled a power play by postponing his SOTU address.

President Donald Trump hit back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, claiming in a letter that he had postponed planned congressional trips abroad to Belgium, Egypt and Afghanistan because of the government shutdown.

The remarkable counter-punch came in the form of a terse letter to Pelosi blasted out to reporters and promoted by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Twitter. It marked the president's first public response to Pelosi's Wednesday morning request to postpone the annual State of the Union address at the end of the month, citing security concerns stemming from the lengthy shutdown.

"Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed," Trump wrote. "We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate."

The president also called on Pelosi to remain in Washington during the shutdown, adding that she is welcome to make the trips abroad on commercial flights.

The speaker’s office was unaware that the letter was coming, which the White House blasted out shortly after 2 p.m. A person familiar with the situation said Pelosi and her cohorts were supposed to leave at 3 p.m. for a six-day trip.

It took more then 24 hours for the White House, which was similarly completely caught off guard by Pelosi's letter, to formally respond to the letter. Senior aides had initially made a strategic decision to hold off on responding, according to people familiar with the matter.

Remainder of article here: Trump strikes back at Pelosi after a day of silence

 

[Ringo84]

Like I said in the American Politics thread: Pelosi doesn't need to be in Washington because the House already passed a continuing resolution to keep the government open. But never let pettiness and childishness get in the way of striking back against someone you want to negotiate with to reopen the government, I guess.
Ringo

 

[redleghunter]

Like I said in the American Politics thread: Pelosi doesn't need to be in Washington because the House already passed a continuing resolution to keep the government open. But never let pettiness and childishness get in the way of striking back against someone you want to negotiate with to reopen the government, I guess.
Ringo

I think Sen Grahams comments in the article are accurate.

 

[Ringo84]

I think Sen Grahams comments in the article are accurate.

I don't. Pelosi's trip had to do with visiting the troops and receiving a security briefing: Drew Hammill on Twitter

These seem like things that are essential to national security. A speech about the union when you shut down the government do not.

But the really funny thing about this stunt is the fact that Donny needs Pelosi a lot more than she needs him. He's the one who walked out of the meeting with Democrats after slamming his tiny little hands on a table. Petty stunts against people with whom you want to negotiate doesn't seem too smart on the part of "great deals; buh-lieve me".
Ringo

 

[redleghunter]

I don't. Pelosi's trip had to do with visiting the troops and receiving a security briefing: Drew Hammill on Twitter

These seem like things that are essential to national security. A speech about the union when you shut down the government do not.
Ringo

Eh, both were politically motivated.

 

[Ringo84]

Eh, both were politically motivated.

Well, I'll grant you that.

Though I do think that Pelosi did have a point about ensuring security at the Capitol. I'm not sure about military pilots getting paid for overseas trips, but I do think that revealing that a member of Congress was going to take a trip overseas is a line that nobody should be crossing.
Ringo

 

[A Realist]

I don't. Pelosi's trip had to do with visiting the troops and receiving a security briefing: Drew Hammill on Twitter

These seem like things that are essential to national security. A speech about the union when you shut down the government do not.

Visiting troops is not essential to national security. And she doesn't need to be "on the front lines" or anywhere in the AO to receive an intelligence and security briefing.

....and neither is the State of the Union address "essential".

 

[Arcangl86]

Is the President going to reimburse the government for the PR trip he made during the shutdown?

 

[Ringo84]

Visiting troops is not essential to national security. And she doesn't need to be "on the front lines" or anywhere in the AO to receive an intelligence and security briefing.

An intelligence and security briefing from those on the front lines certainly does seem like an essential part of our national security. Visiting troops isn't "essential" but it's something that a senior member of congress should be doing.
Ringo

 

[A Realist]

An intelligence and security briefing from those on the front lines certainly does seem like an essential part of our national security.

An intelligence and security briefing from those on the front lines does not need to be done on the front lines or anywhere in the AO.

The SecDef, JCS, or any of the individual branch Secretaries do not travel to the front lines to receive these types of briefings from front line personnel.

 

[redleghunter]

but I do think that revealing that a member of Congress was going to take a trip overseas is a line that nobody should be crossing.

I agree with that. I have been at the other end of many a CODEL. Loads of preparation, loads of troops securing areas, and managing all those UAS assets and AF caps.

 

[redleghunter]

An intelligence and security briefing from those on the front lines does not need to be done on the front lines or anywhere in the AO.

The SecDef, JCS, or any of the individual branch Secretaries do not travel to the front lines to receive these types of briefings from front line personnel.

I agree with this. They could have done a VTC suite greet and meet instead. Beef I have is the announced trip schedule.

 

[Ringo84]

An intelligence and security briefing from those on the front lines does not need to be done on the front lines or anywhere in the AO.

The SecDef, JCS, or any of the individual branch Secretaries do not travel to the front lines to receive these types of briefings from front line personnel.

Well, Pelosi was meeting on the front lines...in part to reaffirm our commitment to NATO, from what I understand. That seems like a much more vital part of having a functional government than a speech.
Ringo

 

[A Realist]

Well, Pelosi was meeting on the front lines...in part to reaffirm our commitment to NATO, from what I understand. That seems like a much more vital part of having a functional government than a speech.
Ringo

I agree the speech isn't vital, but neither was her trip, IMO.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

Is the President going to reimburse the government for the PR trip he made during the shutdown?

Trump has falsely claimed he hasn't left the White House in months despite the documented, undeniable evidence to the contrary. Any strategical thinker would realize how accusing Pelosi's trip of being a "publicity stunt" undermines Trump's own taxpayer-funded trip to Iraq during the government shutdown, but consistently his strategy is to shoot out of vindictive emotion, not realizing how he blows holes into his own credibility.

 

[A Realist]

They could have done a VTC suite greet and meet instead.

And that's how it is usually done, and on a classified and isolated network.

 

[redleghunter]

Trump has falsely claimed he hasn't left the White House in months despite the documented, undeniable evidence to the contrary. Any strategical thinker would realize how accusing Pelosi's trip of being a "publicity stunt" undermines Trump's own taxpayer-funded trip to Iraq during the government shutdown, but consistently his strategy is to shoot out of vindictive emotion, not realizing how he blows holes into his own credibility.

You are right, he did leave the White House for the US-Mexico border last week. Good catch.

Trump going to Iraq is a bit different though. He is Commander-in-Chief.

 

[A Realist]

Trump going to Iraq is a bit different though. He is Commander-in-Chief.

Indeed. Pelosi and other members of Congress are not in the chain of command, no matter what "committee" they might be in Congress.

I can guarantee you that any "intelligence or security" information that Pelosi might have received has already been made known to the DoD chain of command.

 

[redleghunter]

Well, Pelosi was meeting on the front lines...in part to reaffirm our commitment to NATO, from what I understand. That seems like a much more vital part of having a functional government than a speech.
Ringo

In 2009 she visited Iraq when I was there. She dined with a friend of mine from her state. It was surf 'n' turf night at the mess hall. One of her staffers gazed at the lobster with a puzzling look..."That looks more like a scarab than a lobster." Funny and true, which confirmed my description of the shellfish earlier on in the deployment.

I think they were serving us Thenus from the Kuwait City fish market.

 

[Ringo84]

In 2009 she visited Iraq when I was there. She dined with a friend of mine from her state. It was surf 'n' turf night at the mess hall. One of her staffers gazed at the lobster with a puzzling look..."That looks more like a scarab than a lobster." Funny and true, which confirmed my description of the shellfish earlier on in the deployment.

I think they were serving us Thenus from the Kuwait City fish market.

Interesting.

I always tell people: to my knowledge, I've never met anyone famous/infamous. The closest I've come is possibly (but probably not; I'm not sure) seeing Rhea Perlman outside of a restaurant.
Ringo