The image of haughty House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left fuming on the tarmac after President Donald Trump 'postponed' her flight to Afghanistan, Belgium and Egypt provides a kind of levity that millions have been longing for.
'Her Supreme Highness of the Flying Junket' has been grounded until after the Government Partial Shutdown by President Donald Trump, the man she lives to hate.
Like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights, everyone now knows that Pelosi has spent the lion's share of her time during the Shutdown travelling on junkets on the taxpayer dime while some 800,000 government employees are going without pay. First it was Hawaii, then Puerto Rico, with a contingent of 29 other Democrats, and now Afghanistan, Belgium and Egypt.
"But Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Pelosi, tweeted that the group was going to Afghanistan, with "a required stop in Brussels for pilot rest." But they were not scheduled to visit Egypt, he wrote.For years now Nancy Pelosi has travelled the world on the taxpayers' dime. Pelosi's first trip to the Middle East came just three months after she was sworn in as House Speaker in April of 2007, and was made over the objections of the President George W. Bush administration. "With American troops in harm's way, some fear Pelosi's visit will add legitimization to the terrorist government of Syria. As sure as Pelosi wants to cut funds for the troops, the White House doesn't support her visit to Syria. (Canada Free Press,April 4, 2007)"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," Hammill tweeted. "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."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
"Said State Department Sean McCormack last Friday: "In our view, it is not the right time to have these sorts of high-profile visitors to Syria." "President George W. Bush has said Pelosi's trip signals that the Assad government is part of the international mainstream when it is not. "Then there's the Judicial Watch's documented report from the United States Air Force detailing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's repeated use of United States Air Force aircraft: (Judicial Watch, Oct. 14, 2010)
"According to the documents, obtained by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Pelosi used Air Force aircraft on 85 flights from March 2009 through June 2010. Members of Pelosi's family were guests on at least two flights. "Among the highlights from the documents, obtained pursuant to a FOIA request filed on January 25, 2009:"According to previous documents uncovered by Judicial Watch, the Speaker's military travel cost the United States Air Force $2,100,744.59 over a two-year period -- $101,429.14 of which was for in-flight expenses, including food and alcohol. For example, purchases for one Pelosi-led congressional delegation traveling from Washington, DC, through Tel Aviv, Israel to Baghdad, Iraq May 15-20, 2008 included: Johnny Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Bailey's Irish Crème, Maker's Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac, Bacardi Light rum, Jim Beam whiskey, Beefeater gin, Dewar's scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jack Daniels whiskey, Corona beer and several bottles of wine.
- Pelosi used the Air Force aircraft for a total of 85 trips, covering 206,264 miles, from March 2, 2009 through June 7, 2010. Pelosi, her guests and Air Force personnel logged a total of 428.6 hours on these flights.
- Members of Pelosi's family were guests on at least two flights. On June 20, 2009, Speaker Pelosi's daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons joined a flight from Andrews Air Force Base to San Francisco International Air Port. That flight included $143 in on-flight expenses for food and other items. On July 2, 2010, Pelosi took her grandson on a flight from Andrews Air Force Base to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, which is northeast of San Francisco.
Judicial Watch also previously uncovered internal Department of Defense documents (DOD) email correspondence detailing attempts by DOD staff to accommodate Pelosi's numerous requests for military escorts and military aircraft as well as the speaker's last minute cancellations and changes. For example, in response to a series of requests for military aircraft, one Defense Department official wrote, "Any chance of politely querying [Pelosi's team] if they really intend to do all of these or are they just picking every weekend?...[There's no need to block every weekend 'just in case'... "The email also notes that Pelosi's office had, "a history of canceling many of their past requests." "Pelosi's abusive use of military aircraft demonstrates a shocking lack of regard for the American taxpayer and the men and women who serve in the U.S. Air Force. Speaker Pelosi may have a frequent flyer record for taxpayer-financed luxury jet travel," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton."Now that Pelosi's been grounded by President Trump, isn't some kind of investigation in order to probe why she was headed to Afghanistan and Belgium in the middle of a partial Government Shutdown? Was Pelosi planning on undermining President Trump abroad for the next coming Democrat sabotage? Inquiring minds would sure like to know.
Copyright © Canada Free Press
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Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience in the print media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared on Rush Limbaugh, Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com.
