Trump Makes Secret Visit To Afghanistan – President Trump made a secret visit on Thanksgiving to the roughly 12,000 troops serving in Afghanistan. The visit was kept under wraps, with the White House taking steps to keep the president’s Twitter account active while he was flying to the country in order to throw off anyone who may have had suspicions of a secret visit. After landing at Bagram Air Base, President Trump served turkey to troops and told them that discussions were once again being held with the Taliban to end the decades-long fighting. Trump also met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, before heading back to the United States.
Report Says DOJ Didn’t Spy On Trump Campaign – The DOJ Inspector General has written a report concluding that the FBI didn’t spy on President Trump’s 2016 campaign, a claim Trump has been making for years. Michael Horowitz, the DOJ IG, reportedly wrote that no evidence exists to suggest that the FBI tried to place informants or undercover agents in the Trump campaign in the months preceding the 2016 election. The full report is expected to be released on December 9th.
President Trump Donates Salary – As he does each year, President Trump elected to donate his salary to charity rather than pocket it. The president is paid around $400,000 each year, a sizable sum for a person whose expenses are all paid by the US government. Trump is donating his third quarter salary to efforts fighting the national opioid epidemic. Trump said he would not accept a presidential salary, but after being told he was legally required to, he chose to donate each quarter’s salary to charity.
Congresswoman Accused Of Being Foreign Agent – Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who many have accused of being anti-Semitic, is being accused of giving sensitive information to Iran in exchange for payment from the Qatari government. Alan Bender, a businessman testifying in a Florida court, made the bombshell accusation, saying that Qatar had been grooming Omar for years before she even entered politics.
Navy Secretary Ousted – Defense Secretary Mark Esper demanded that Navy Secretary Richard Spencer hand in his resignation after getting into a spat with President Trump over the pardoning of Navy Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, accused of taking a picture alongside the dead body of an ISIS militant. President Trump ordered the Navy to cancel the soldier’s demotion, a move that the Navy said would send a message to the troops that bad behavior has no consequences. President Trump has nominated the current ambassador to Norway, Ken Braithwaite, to replace Spencer as Secretary of the Navy.
House Judiciary To Begin Hearings – After the House Intelligence Committee wrapped up its impeachment hearings, the House Judiciary Committee is set to begin its own hearing next week. The committee, which will begin hearing on December 4th, will seek to answer the question of whether President Trump committed “high crimes and misdemeanors” which the Constitution says is grounds for impeachment. If the Judiciary Committee concludes that Trump is indeed guilty of such behavior, they will write up articles of impeachment, which will then be sent for a vote by the full House of Representatives.