US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has abandoned plans to visit Afghanistan, saying President Donald Trump had caused a security risk by publicizing the trip.
US House speaker cancels Afghanistan trip, blames Trump
Afghan Voice Agency(AVA) , 19 Jan 2019 - 12:51
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has abandoned plans to visit Afghanistan, saying President Donald Trump had caused a security risk by publicizing the trip.
Pelosi postponed the visit a day after Trump administration blocked Democrat Pelosi from using a military plane for the trip amid a partial government shutdown over budgetary dispute.
Pelosi’s office then was prepared to fly commercially, but she said that Trump administration had leaked details that could endanger the trip or American troops she had planned to visit.
“We had a report from Afghanistan ... that the president outing our trip had made the scene on the ground much more dangerous because it was just a signal to the bad actors that we’re coming,” Pelosi told reporters.
“You never give advance notice of going into a battle area. You just never do,” she said. “Perhaps the president’s inexperience did not have him understand that protocol. The people around him should have known that because that’s very dangerous.”
The White House denied Pelosi’s claim.
“When the speaker of the House and about 20 others from Capitol Hill decide to book their own commercial flights to Afghanistan, the world is going to find out,” a White House official said.
On Friday, Trump tweeted: “Why would Nancy Pelosi leave the Country with other Democrats on a seven day excursion when 800,000 great people are not getting paid. Also, could somebody please explain to Nancy & her “big donors” in wing country that people working on farms (grapes) will have easy access in!”
Story Code: 178112