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Nancy Pelosi Is Lying About the State of the Union

January 18, 2019 - 7:00am

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has written President Trump to suggest that he postpone his State of the Union address, citing her "security concerns" over the ability of the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security to protect government officials during the shutdown.

With all due respect, that is fake news.

Pelosi isn't worried about security. She invited the president to deliver the State of the Union on Jan. 3, 13 days after the partial government shutdown began. She did not ask the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service before writing the president whether they had concerns about their ability to provide security. Indeed, Politico reports that a planning meeting with the Secret Service was scheduled for the day after Pelosi sent her letter, and subsequently canceled. If Pelosi had bothered to ask, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen would have told her exactly what she said Wednesday on Twitter: "The Department of Homeland Security and the US Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union."

Pelosi is using her faux security concerns as a pretext to do something unprecedented and outrageous: deny a president of the United States the opportunity to come to Congress and deliver his State of the Union address. Never in the history of our Republic has the House speaker invited, and then disinvited, a sitting president from addressing a joint session of Congress. Yet all those who constantly decry Trump for shattering of presidential norms seem to be perfectly fine when Pelosi is doing the norm shattering -- and lying about why she is doing it.

To the contrary, some have praised this is as a power move on Pelosi's part. No, it's not. Pelosi understands full well the power of a State of the Union address. Trump's first two addresses of a joint session drew 48 million and 46 million television viewers, respectively (plus millions more online). She knows that, if anything, the drama of Trump addressing Congress in the midst of the shutdown would likely increase interest. Trump has now twice demonstrated that he can use the venue effectively. So, Pelosi wants to stop him from speaking from the rostrum of the House of Representatives directly to tens of millions of Americans and calling her out for her refusal to compromise.

If she follows through on this threat, it could backfire. Right now, Democrats are brimming with confidence because polls show that a majority of Americans blame Trump for the shutdown. But according to a recent Hill-HarrisX poll, 70 percent of Americans want both sides to compromise, including 61 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of Democrats. Right now, Trump is the only one talking compromise, while Democrats are demanding unilateral surrender. A few weeks ago, Trump sent Vice President Pence to Capitol Hill with an offer that cut his wall request from $5.7 billion to $2.5 billion. Pelosi said she would be willing to give him "one dollar." She probably thought it was funny. But to millions of voters, it came across as cocky and insensitive to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers affected by the shutdown.

Then, to add insult to injury, Democratic lawmakers took a junket to Puerto Rico on the very day that federal workers stop receiving their paychecks. They had time to sun themselves on the beach at an exclusive resort with more than 100 lobbyists and executives and hang out with the cast of "Hamilton," but they could not be bothered to accept Trump's invitation to meet with him at the White House on Tuesday to find a way out of the crisis.

And now Pelosi is threatening to cancel the State of the Union address -- a move that will be seen by many Americans as petty and vindictive. If Democrats continue with this cavalier attitude and refusal to negotiate, eventually public opinion will turn against them.

Trump should tell Pelosi that, while he appreciates her concerns, the Secret Service has assured him that they can handle security and that he plans to deliver his address in person, as scheduled. Let her withdraw the invitation. If she does, it will be a turning point in our nation's history -- a moment when the last vestiges of comity in Washington were destroyed. It may also be the moment when Americans finally realized that Pelosi cares more about hurting Trump than she does about finding a compromise solution and doing what is best for the country.

Follow Marc A. Thiessen on Twitter, @marcthiessen.

(c) 2019, The Washington Post Writers Group

Comments

Excellent article Marc! Except you were wrong. The Speaker followed through exactly as she said she would. Once the government was re-opened, she re-issued her invitation to the President. Don't you hate it when she does what she said she would do?

you are brain washed

Let's get a few facts straight here --> Who's the only one who, like a petulant child, vowed if he didn't get his wall, he'd shut down the government in order to have his way . . . . . . . Who's the only one who, like a delusional 5th grader, declared over and over again that Mexico would pay for his wall . . . . . . . . Who's the only one who, like an arrogant spoiled child, decided that robbing 800,000 federal employees of their salaries and forcing many to work essentially as slaves despite the harm that brings is a viable negotiation technique . . . . . . . . and who's wife Melania just took Air Force 1 here to Mar-a-logo for a weekend (or longer) vacation from the Donald (costing taxpayers approximately $3.6 million per trip, according to a Government Accountability Office report) . . . . . . . and who's the pathological liar who has been proven to lie in public more that an average of 5 times a day (on one particular day, 83 times!) . . . . . . . . . . .Donald J. Trump, that's who . . . . . . . . . and while we're at it, who ever declared Mitch McConnell a dictator who can unilaterally refuse to have the Senate consider any/all legislation that the House passes forever, especially legislation that would open back up the government - where is that explicitly in the Constitution? . . . . . . . . . . . Republican "look over there for blame" claims . . . . . . . . . PATHETIC . . . .

Why would any reasonable thinking person criticize someone for lying to the obsessive/compulsive Liar-In-Chief ??? Ditch Mitch! Dump Trump!

Excellent article Marc!!!

Excellent article Marc!!!

And now trump has canceled Pelosi's important trip overseas -- a move that will be seen by many Americans as petty and vindictive. If Republicans continue with this cavalier attitude and refusal to negotiate, eventually public opinion will turn against them.

Sure. You are as ridiculous as Pelosi. And nobody from Congress should be dabbling in foreign affairs anyway. That's the president's job.

SIGH . . . . somebody doesn't know their Constitution . . . . . . (1) "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States" . . . . . (2) To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes . . . . . . . (3) "To establish a uniform rule of naturalization" . . . . (4) "To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin" . . . .(5) "To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations" . . . . . .(6) "To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water" . . . . . (7) "To provide and maintain a navy" . . . . . . (8) "To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces" . . . . . . . in addition to other duties, such as approving treaties, general laws, and its oversight role over the executive branch . . . . . . . to dispute Congress's role (and responsibilities) in foreign affairs under the powers provided in the Constitution . . . . . . . . . . PATHETIC . . .

At this point Pelosi would do a better job at foreign affairs than trump anyways. At the very least she would have the balls to stand next to Putin and challenge him on his meddling in our election. We all saw how that went down when trump was there. He looked like putin’s Little b!tch.

I beg to differ. It’s Noxious Nancy and her pack of brainless Demoncrats who refuse to negotiate. President Trump stayed in Washington over the holidays so he was available to negotiate; Noxious Nancy flew to Hawaii. Then she took off for Puerto Rico for wild papers and the progressive, socialist cast of Hamilton. Finally, she tries to skip town again by flying to Brussels and Afghanistan on a PR trip to show her support for the troops. Now that’s pathetic, especially after Noxious Nancy and her detestable Demoncrats recentlybrefused to fund the VA. President Trump has made himself available and is ready to negotiate. He has sent over multiple offers to Noxious Nancy, all of which were declined. Noxious Nancy doesn’t want to negotiate! Her hatred for President Trump is greater than her desire to resolve the shutdown. President Trump, please stand your ground!!

Must be nice to go to work and get paid. Easy to say when you don’t have nothing to lose and only to gain. Up to this point both parties are not negotiating. Dems are not putting money to a wall and trump (up to this point) he is not taking anything less than 5.6 billion. Doesn’t matter how many cherries each party gives. If it’s not 5.6 billion or no wall we are at a standoff. Trump did agree to sign a bill that would have kept the gov open through January. Till Ann Coulter got to him. Just saying.

There is none so blind as those who will not see Going tl Hawaii for Christmas and a Puerto Rico junket is hardly being ready to negotiate Trump stayed in DC at Christmas ready to talk, Democrats took vacations Wake up please

Well trump did cause the shutdown. Said it on national TV for everyone one to see. I’m sure the dems were thinking. Why should I lose my holidays because this dip Sh!t went back on a deal that he had already agreed upon. For the 2nd time. (DACA for 26 billion in border WALL FUNDING.) In retrospect this 5.6 billion is a total failure when he could have had 25 billion. He might want to go ahead and pick up the cliff notes to the art of the deal. It might just help him out.

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