Trump Administration Asks Congress to Reimburse Taliban

[Chosen Daughter]

This was posted in World News too.

Reimbursing, though, I'm not a fan of this, I don't think it is a big deal to pay for the food and hotel room of the negotiators. Isn't what this is about?

Anyway, the great persecutors of Christians and other groups, that being ISIS was achieved under Trump, someone could say genocide was stopped.

@Chosen Daughter  is no part of that if she didn't vote for Trump as she is always saying. She abandoned those Christians so, in posting this, she shows, she just likes to go after Trump if she finds something negative on him.

Sorry, you abandoned Christians in Syria/Iraq if you didn't vote for Trump, maybe your taxpayer dollars helped the effort but this is the situation.

As said, I think we are talking about paying room and board for these negotiators, otherwise, they wouldn't have shown up.

Who thinks the Taliban doesn't have money to pay for their own food and hotel rooms?  If they can't pay for that then I would say they are not that interested in peace.  They aren't.  Its a non starter if you read the articles .  This is money Trump is willing to give to terrorists who have absolutely no commitment to peace.



The Pentagon’s request to funnel U.S. funds to the Taliban “would implicate provisions of law concerning material support to terrorists, the Taliban’s ongoing offensive operations against U.S. service members, and their continuing lack of acknowledgement of the government of Afghanistan or the rights of women in Afghan society,” said Spicer.
[Why Republicans bucked Trump on Afghanistan and Syria]

Consequently, Visclosky’s panel approved on Wednesday a $690.2 billion Defense spending bill for fiscal 2020 that bars any funds for reimbursing the Taliban.
Life imitating ‘The Onion’

Under the request, however, the U.S. government would funnel funds to a violent group that once harbored Osama bin Laden — a fighting force that U.S. troops have been combating for more than 18 years.

The Taliban is a well-funded organization, too. And much of its money has been earned from a drug trade that is killing record numbers of Americans. The group may net at least $800 million a year from opium trafficking and related activities.

https://www.rollcall.com/news/administration-wants-reimburse-talibans-travel-expenses

[TomSea]

You pay for the room and board of the negotiators in Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE or one of those Gulf Nations. You are trying to workout a peace deal. Is this really a big deal? It might be made a big by the lame stream press that despises you but I'm not it is.

We've known of these negotiations for some time.

[XenaLee]

For you when does the buck stop with the boss?  What you are saying is that Trumps appointed administration is making decisions without the Presidents knowledge.  That he is basically non engaged in his own foreign policy.

I'm saying that there are enemies infiltrated into government ... (duh)... that are only too happy to "leak" crap like this that will make Trump look bad and piss off his base.  I believe the actual leaker in this case was, in fact, a g'damned Democrat.....

Earlier this year, the Department of Defense requested funding for fiscal year 2020 to "support certain reconciliation activities, including logistic support for members of the Taliban," Kevin Spicer, a spokesman for Rep. Peter Visclosky, an Indiana Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, told Roll Call.

And yeah, I believe there is no way in hell that Trump could keep up with every bit of minutia (like this) and keep it from becoming 'used' by the rats.  Not even he is that 'hands on'.

Bottom line, I am against any and every damned Democrat ...and stories like this only come to the aid of the rats in their quest to regain the White House and the power.  Screw that.

[corbe]

  It's pure speculation at this point, I'll wait for Hannity and/or Rush to acknowledge and comment before I believe it.   /s

   (The Good Lord knows they're not gonna touch this, if true.)

[EdJames]

For you when does the buck stop with the boss?  What you are saying is that Trumps appointed administration is making decisions without the Presidents knowledge.  That he is basically non engaged in his own foreign policy.

You need to take a more realistic view of this.

For one thing, none of the large federal agencies can accurately be labeled as "Trumps appointed administration" (sic).  The overwhelming majority of these people are career civil servants that have been in these positions for many years. 

Additionally, no executive knows about the minutia of what people in his area of responsibility are doing on a day to day basis.  It is absurd to think that Trump can be aware of thousands of details like this that play out on a daily basis.  Believe me, before I retired I had a directorate of just under 200 people working for me.  Aside from scheduled management meetings, the only time that I was made aware of the daily actions of any of them was if someone did something really stupid, or really smart!!

That is just reality.

[Chosen Daughter]

I'm saying that there are enemies infiltrated into government ... (duh)... that are only too happy to "leak" crap like this that will make Trump look bad and piss off his base.  I believe the actual leaker in this case was, in fact, a g'damned Democrat.....

And yeah, I believe there is no way in hell that Trump could keep up with every bit of minutia (like this) and keep it from becoming 'used' by the rats.  Not even he is that 'hands on'.

Bottom line, I am against any and every damned Democrat ...and stories like this only come to the aid of the rats in their quest to regain the White House and the power.  Screw that.

I'm sorry I don't believe a word your saying.  In fact it is dripping with denial.  Trump has said over and over again that all decisions are ultimately his.  He said that of his Generals that advise him.  If this had come from a Democrat that's because Trump appointed him/her.  But to say he doesn't know about it is,...…...crazy.

[TomSea]

You need to take a more realistic view of this.

For one thing, none of the large federal agencies can accurately be labeled as "Trumps appointed administration" (sic).  The overwhelming majority of these people are career civil servants that have been in these positions for many years. 

Additionally, no executive knows about the minutia of what people in his area of responsibility are doing on a day to day basis.  It is absurd to think that Trump can be aware of thousands of details like this that play out on a daily basis.  Believe me, before I retired I had a directorate of just under 200 people working for me.  Aside from scheduled management meetings, the only time that I was made aware of the daily actions of any of them was if someone did something really stupid, or really smart!!

That is just reality.

Remember how during the Vietnam war, it was the "Paris Peace Talks", who paid for the room and board for the North Vietnamese? If somehow we did, it would be the same situation.

From what I know, that's all this is about, we paid room and board for the negotiators, the quoted part in post #1 even says that. We are trying to reach a peace deal.

If we paid anything for Kim of North Korea to meet us in Vietnam, it would be the same thing apparently.

Again, this is no big deal if this is what happened.

[TomSea]

The Christians in Syria and Iraq and other minorities too, have been saved from decimation, Chosen Daughter apparently has nothing to do with that. In fact, her attitude should be seen as abandoning them to genocide. So, this is really, the pot calling the kettle black. These were negotiators who got their expenses paid for . Big deal!

[TomSea]

Let alone, does one want peace in Afghanistan? US Soldiers out of there? A peace deal?

Or does one want more Americans to be killed over there?

Not a difficult decision really.

[Chosen Daughter]

You need to take a more realistic view of this.

For one thing, none of the large federal agencies can accurately be labeled as "Trumps appointed administration" (sic).  The overwhelming majority of these people are career civil servants that have been in these positions for many years. 

Additionally, no executive knows about the minutia of what people in his area of responsibility are doing on a day to day basis.  It is absurd to think that Trump can be aware of thousands of details like this that play out on a daily basis.  Believe me, before I retired I had a directorate of just under 200 people working for me.  Aside from scheduled management meetings, the only time that I was made aware of the daily actions of any of them was if someone did something really stupid, or really smart!!

That is just reality.

No, that's denial also.  I don't think that this is a small detail.

[XenaLee]

I'm sorry I don't believe a word your saying.  In fact it is dripping with denial.  Trump has said over and over again that all decisions are ultimately his.  He said that of his Generals that advise him.  If this had come from a Democrat that's because Trump appointed him/her.  But to say he doesn't know about it is,...…...crazy.

Lol!  Yeah... that's his massive ego talkin there.  But we all know (well... some of us, anyway) that it is impossible for him to be aware of every single issue going on, 24/7.   Hell, that fact has been proven over and over again already, and it's only two years in.

I'm saying he probably wasn't aware "before leaked" of the issue.  I'm also saying that he doesn't sound like he would want to "reimburse" the Taliban for a Subway Sandwich lunch, let alone any other travel expenses.   And feel free to not believe me as you wish.   It's a discussion forum, not a witness stand, after all.

[Chosen Daughter]

  It's pure speculation at this point, I'll wait for Hannity and/or Rush to acknowledge and comment before I believe it.   /s

   (The Good Lord knows they're not gonna touch this, if true.)

Anything from Hannity will be pure praise.  Making a turd into a jewel.

[TomSea]

Anything from Hannity will be pure praise.  Making a turd into a jewel.

So, you are saying, it'd be okay if American soldiers die because a peace deal isn't reached? Totally disagree.

[TomSea]

Any time, a visiting head-of-state comes to the US, the expenses are surely out of our pocket and if we go to say, some lesser developed countries like Vietnam as we did a few months ago, tons of security and probably tons of costs were involved.

[Chosen Daughter]

So, you are saying, it'd be okay if American soldiers die because a peace deal isn't reached? Totally disagree.

Oh, pile on some more emotion.  If the Taliban was interested/invested in peace they would pay for their own hotel.  I already excerpted the article about what a non starter any peace deal is with the Taliban.  I certainly do not want our soldiers to die.  We would be better off just leaving if that is what you want.   Why give them any aid?  That group is not all of a sudden a peaceful group. 

[Chosen Daughter]

Any time, a visiting head-of-state comes to the US, the expenses are surely out of our pocket and if we go to say, some lesser developed countries like Vietnam as we did a few months ago, tons of security and probably tons of costs were involved.

Taliban is not a head of state it is a terrorist group. 

[TomSea]

Taliban is not a head of state it is a terrorist group.

Actually, the Afghan Taliban is not a designated terror group by the US State Dept. That surprised the heck out of me and my lay person's view says they should be but they aren't. They are designated as an armed insurgency.

Why Isn't Afghan Taliban on US List of Foreign Terror Groups?

They both call themselves the Taliban. They regularly carry out deadly suicide bombings, kill civilians with impunity and, in many respects, behave like brutish terrorist groups.

So why is one — the Tehrik-I Taliban of Pakistan — on the State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, while the other — Afghanistan's Taliban — is not?

To the U.S., the Afghan Taliban is largely an insurgency with control over vast swaths of territory and aspirations to govern the country, while its Pakistani offspring is considered nothing but a terrorist organization.

https://www.voanews.com/a/afghan-taliban-us-list-foreign-terror-groups/3732453.html

[Chosen Daughter]

Actually, the Afghan Taliban is not a designated terror group by the US State Dept. That surprised the heck out of me and my lay person's view says they should be but they aren't. They are designated as an armed insurgency.

Surprises me.  Insurgents or terrorists, what's the difference.  I can't believe we would be splitting hairs on that.  But it appears that the Afghanistan government wasn't invited to the "peace" talks.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/may/16/zalmay-khalilzad-taliban-talks-leave-afghanistan-d/


This article goes even deeper into the negotiations.  Shameful. 

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/18/donald-trump-afghanistan-zalmay-khalilzad-225815

[EdJames]

No, that's denial also.  I don't think that this is a small detail.

I don't believe that you are taking a clear-eyed view of this.

[Chosen Daughter]

I don't believe that you are taking a clear-eyed view of this.

That's funny I don't think you are either.  We are negotiating with terrorists that want to go back to their authoritarian extremist ways.  Our men and women did not die in Afghanistan so that Taliban can come back in and take over.  The negotiations have excluded the U.S backed Afghanistan government.

[EdJames]

That's funny I don't think you are either.  We are negotiating with terrorists that want to go back to their authoritarian extremist ways.  Our men and women did not die in Afghanistan so that Taliban can come back in and take over.  The negotiations have excluded the U.S backed Afghanistan government.

That's not what we were discussing.

[Chosen Daughter]

That's not what we were discussing.

It isn't?  Tell me where I strayed from the issue.  Or you just want to stick to the hotel bill not what the intent of the negotiations are?

[Chosen Daughter]

One year ago Trump would not negotiate with Taliban because they were killing people.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/29/trump-taliban-no-negotiating-374476

[EdJames]

It isn't?  Tell me where I strayed from the issue.  Or you just want to stick to the hotel bill not what the intent of the negotiations are?

If you click the links back, you will see what you and I were discussing.  I have no other input.

[TomSea]

Afghanistan could be a real blood bath if we just suddenly left as well. Best to try to forge a peace if possible. We've been there for 17 years.

Some would be content with just yanking our troops out.

The talks and the role of the Afghan government has been a sensitive matter.