Morning Report August 22, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-XqrA82CrI
NEW AFGHANISTAN PLAN
"Micromanagement from Washington D.C. does not win battles." - President Donald Trump
In laying out his new military strategy for Afghanistan, President Trump took a shot at his predecessor Barack Obama, who was known to be a war time micromanager. IVN.us recently wrote a story about the differences between the two presidential styles.
Here are highlights from his speech at the Army's Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, located next to Arlington National Cemetery:
- The president said any strategy must result in victory, "America will seek an honorable and enduring outcome. Worthy of all the previous sacrifices that have been made."
- The US will not rapidly exit the Middle East. The president said such a strategy is both predictable and unacceptable and would create a vacuum that ISIS would fill. Similar, the president said, to what happened in 2011 when US withdrew from Iraq.
- The security threats we face in Afghanistan are immense and additional troops will be sent to Afghanistan. The president would not say how many additional troops, although some media outlets have reported the number as high as 4,000.
- The US will not engage in nation building.
President Trump said he reached his conclusions after many meetings over many months with his security team. After the groups final meeting last Friday Trump said, "America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, stripping their funding, and removing the thought of any glory they achieve in death."
CPD COURT DEADLINES SET
In a story on IVN.us, the judge handling the Commission on Presidential Debates complaint, has issued filing deadlines.
One of the Plaintiff's, Level the Playing Field, is working to promote greater competition and choice in elections for federal office, particularly for the Presidency and Vice Presidency. The duopoly that controls the show, the RNC and DNC, stack the deck, making it virtually impossible for independent candidates to not only make a legitimate run at the White House, but also participate in the very important Presidential Debates. The last Independent candidate to make the debates stage was Ross Perot in 1992. The rules were changed after his inclusion.
The Federal Elections Commission is the Defendant.
INDICTMENTS, PROBE WIDENING IN WASSERMAN SCHULTZ IT AIDE CASE
As reported on IVN.us by W. E. Messamore, a federal grand jury has now raised additional criminal charges against Imran Awan, the former House Democratic IT staffer with close ties to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida.
Awan was arrested by the FBI last month at Dulles airport as he attempted to flee the U.S. for his home country of Pakistan, and charged with bank fraud.
The charges stem from a massive rental property operation Awan and his family members were running in Virginia, while Awan and his wife were in bankruptcy. The Awans had misrepresented themselves on mortgage loans for the properties.
Schultz has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats for her close ties to the Awan family, and for continuing to keep Imran Awan on her payroll months after the Capitol Police investigation began in February.