Trump Stands With The Troops
Usually surprises in Washington are bad. Today was one of those rare occasions when the surprise was good. In a series of tweets this morning, President Trump rolled back yet another of Barack Obama's signature initiatives. Here's the president's statement:
"After consultation with my generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical cost and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you."
I couldn't agree more.
Predictably, the left reacted with howls of outrage. Bradley Manning accused the president of "cowardice." Congressional progressives blasted the president's statement as "despicable," "hateful" and "un-American." The ACLU and other radical organizations all piled on.
Once again, the left could not be more out-of-touch. According to a recent poll, only 23% of voters think Obama's policy of "allowing openly transgendered individuals to serve is good for the military." And only 12% of active duty soldiers felt this radical policy has helped military readiness.
We have been working hard with our allies in the Trump Administration, arguing against social experimentation in the military and explaining why it is bad for unit cohesion, morale and readiness. Vice President Mike Pence played a key role in today's announcement.
In the Obama years, the military was starved for funds and used as a playground for the left's bizarre ideas. In the Trump/Pence Administration, our warriors are being freed from the left's progressive experiments. That is something to celebrate.
But, my friends, the left's counterattack is coming. We must be ready.
House IT Staffer Arrested
We've told you before about members of Awan family, Pakistani brothers who worked as IT consultants for more than two dozen House Democrats, including some who served on sensitive committees. One of their clients was former Democrat National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
Top political figures. Reported connections to terrorist groups. Rumors of blackmail. This may sound like a blockbuster Hollywood script, but the media were never interested in this scandal because it doesn't further any of the left's narratives.
We always thought there was more here than meets the eye, and you may be hearing more about this story in the days ahead.
It was reported two days ago that the FBI seized smashed hard drives from a home the brothers were renting. The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating the Awan brothers in connection to "several massive cyber security breaches and transferring sensitive congressional data offsite."
Now we are learning that Imran Awan was arrested Monday night at Dulles International Airport attempting to flee the country. Stay tuned!
Speaking Of Crimes. . .
Washington is buzzing with reports that Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to announce several criminal leak investigations. Some pundits say the announcement is in response to pressure from President Trump. But that may not be the case.
CNN reports that "the announcement has been in the works for some time." In fact, Attorney General Sessions said several weeks ago that the Justice Department had "already initiated appropriate steps to address these rampant leaks that undermine our national security."
I assume the leak investigations will begin with fired FBI Director James Comey, who admitted under oath that he leaked information to the New York Times. And I am pleased to report that some House conservatives are putting forward legislation to help.
Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) are seeking to force a thorough probe of how James Comey and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch handled the investigation of Hillary Clinton.
This issue drives half the country insane. I know from your emails!
Progressives seize an issue -- say Russian collusion -- and work it and twist it and use it to paralyze an administration. Sometimes people go to jail on absurd charges. (Just ask Scooter Libby.)
But after eight years of Obama scandals -- the IRS scandal, the VA scandal, Fast and Furious, Benghazi, Hillary's mishandling of classified information, abuses of our national security apparatus, etc. -- nobody went to jail or was seemingly held accountable.