Veterans group praises Trump peace agreement,
criticizes Rep. Jim Banks for opposing it
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sgt. Dan McKnight, Afghanistan war veteran and founder of BringOurTroopsHome.US, Saturday praised President Donald Trump's announcement of a peace agreement with Taliban forces that could lead to total withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan some time next year. The announcement came a day after McKnight blasted House Republican Conference chair Liz Cheney (R-WY), and a group of 21 other GOP House members, including Rep. Jim Banks (IN-03) for attempting to publicly undercut Trump's efforts.
Monday, McKnight turned his sites on Rep. Banks in particular.
“After nearly two decades, we're grateful that our Commander-in-Chief stood with the American people and with America's fighting men and women and their families," McKnight said, "and ignored the demands of war mongers like Rep. Banks and Liz Cheney, whose family profiteered from hundreds of millions of dollars in military contracts, literally making money off wars they sent other people to fight."
"The demands Congressman Banks and Ms. Cheney tried to dictate to the president earlier this week were designed to do one thing," McKnight said, "prevent him from keeping his campaign promise to end the longest war in American history and bring our troops home. Thank you for listening to the American people, Mr. President, and ignoring Congressman Banks and Congresswoman Cheney.”
Rep. Banks and Cheney Wednesday released a letter — signed by just 20 other House Republicans — publicly challenging the president's efforts and demanding that any agreement "must not contain a commitment for a full U.S. withdrawal" of troops from Afghanistan.
"War mongers like Congressman Banks and Cheney have schemed to keep the United States in perpetual war for nearly a generation, always expecting other people's families to pay the price in blood and trillions of taxpayer dollars," said McKnight, who served eighteen months in the Pech River Valley with the Idaho Army National Guard.
"Thankfully, we finally have a Commander-in-Chief in President Trump,” McKnight said, “with the courage to stand up to Chicken Hawk Cheney, her shrinking number of followers such as Congressman Banks, and the military industrial complex that General Eisenhower warned us about. Thankfully, we have a president who's trying to end these ridiculous, endless, bankrupting wars and finally bring our troops home."
McKnight said while Banks's and Cheney's attempt to "publicly undercut the president's efforts is a slap in the face to those who’ve served, bled, and died in this endless war," he's encouraged that the two House members were able to persuade less than two dozen of the 195 other Republicans in the House to join them in signing the letter.
"Hopefully, given the broken record of their incessant demands that we continue to spill American blood and treasure at every turn, in one country after another, that's a sign of Banks's and Cheney's increasingly diminished credibility and influence on U.S. foreign and military policy," McKnight said.
McKnight noted a Politico poll last year which found that – in direct contradiction to Banks's and Cheney’s demands that U.S. forces not be withdrawn -- 81 percent of Trump voters support the president’s efforts to bring our troops home from Afghanistan, and a YouGov poll last month which found that 70 percent of all Americans also support withdrawing troops from the war-torn country.
Monday, McKnight turned his sites on Rep. Banks in particular.
“After nearly two decades, we're grateful that our Commander-in-Chief stood with the American people and with America's fighting men and women and their families," McKnight said, "and ignored the demands of war mongers like Rep. Banks and Liz Cheney, whose family profiteered from hundreds of millions of dollars in military contracts, literally making money off wars they sent other people to fight."
"The demands Congressman Banks and Ms. Cheney tried to dictate to the president earlier this week were designed to do one thing," McKnight said, "prevent him from keeping his campaign promise to end the longest war in American history and bring our troops home. Thank you for listening to the American people, Mr. President, and ignoring Congressman Banks and Congresswoman Cheney.”
Rep. Banks and Cheney Wednesday released a letter — signed by just 20 other House Republicans — publicly challenging the president's efforts and demanding that any agreement "must not contain a commitment for a full U.S. withdrawal" of troops from Afghanistan.
"War mongers like Congressman Banks and Cheney have schemed to keep the United States in perpetual war for nearly a generation, always expecting other people's families to pay the price in blood and trillions of taxpayer dollars," said McKnight, who served eighteen months in the Pech River Valley with the Idaho Army National Guard.
"Thankfully, we finally have a Commander-in-Chief in President Trump,” McKnight said, “with the courage to stand up to Chicken Hawk Cheney, her shrinking number of followers such as Congressman Banks, and the military industrial complex that General Eisenhower warned us about. Thankfully, we have a president who's trying to end these ridiculous, endless, bankrupting wars and finally bring our troops home."
McKnight said while Banks's and Cheney's attempt to "publicly undercut the president's efforts is a slap in the face to those who’ve served, bled, and died in this endless war," he's encouraged that the two House members were able to persuade less than two dozen of the 195 other Republicans in the House to join them in signing the letter.
"Hopefully, given the broken record of their incessant demands that we continue to spill American blood and treasure at every turn, in one country after another, that's a sign of Banks's and Cheney's increasingly diminished credibility and influence on U.S. foreign and military policy," McKnight said.
McKnight noted a Politico poll last year which found that – in direct contradiction to Banks's and Cheney’s demands that U.S. forces not be withdrawn -- 81 percent of Trump voters support the president’s efforts to bring our troops home from Afghanistan, and a YouGov poll last month which found that 70 percent of all Americans also support withdrawing troops from the war-torn country.
