Nancy Pelosi's senior aide says White House leaked the details of lawmakers' commercial flight to war zone

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Nancy Pelosi's senior aide says White House leaked the details of lawmakers' commercial flight to war zone

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 17: U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a weekly news conference January 17, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Speaker Pelosi discussed various topics included the ongoing government shutdown. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Alex Wong/Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

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  • One of Nancy Pelosi's senior aides claims the White House leaked details of a congressional delegation's commercial travel plans to Afghanistan to stop the trip.
  • The news comes after President Trump canceled the military charter meant to take the delegation on the foreign trip.
  • The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

WASHINGTON - The White House leaked the details of the commercial travel plans for the congressional delegation's trip to Brussels and Afghanistan after President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the military chartered trip on Thursday, according a senior aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Trump canceled the trip Thursday afternoon, sending Capitol Hill into a chaotic scene that included a wild goose chase after a United States Air Force bus full of members of Congress ready to depart Washington. But things got more complicated when they planned to go forward with the trip via commercial travel.

Read more: Trump sends Capitol Hill into chaos after canceling congressional trip to Afghanistan

In a statement, Pelosi's Deputy Chief of Staff Drew Hammill said, "After President Trump revoked the use of military aircraft to travel to Afghanistan, the delegation was prepared to fly commercially to proceed with this vital trip to meet with our commanders and troops on the front lines."

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"In the middle of the night, the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service provided an updated threat assessment detailing that the President announcing this sensitive travel had significantly increased the danger to the delegation and to the troops, security, and other officials supporting the trip," Hammill said. "This morning, we learned that the Administration had leaked the commercial travel plans as well."

"In light of the grave threats caused by the President's action, the delegation has decided to postpone the trip so as not to further endanger our troops and security personnel, or the other travelers on the flights," Hammill added. "Whether here or abroad, the Speaker always thanks our troops, diplomats and intelligence community for their heroism and service."

"The Speaker commends her colleagues on the delegation, who personally and officially have dedicated their lives to protect and defend the American people," he concluded.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

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