Florida Democrat Rep. Frederica Wilson went nuclear on President Donald Trump in a phone call to the ABC broadcast television talk show The View Wednesday morning over his phone call Tuesday with the widow of one of the four soldiers killed in action in Niger on October 4, saying this is “Mr. Trump’s Benghazi.”
Sgt. La David Wilson.
Wilson accused Trump of saying, “He knew what he was signing up for, but I guess it hurts anyway.” Trump has since denied Wilson’s accusation via Twitter, saying, “Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!”
Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2017
Video of Wilson’s original comments:
Lawmaker says Pres. Trump told a service member's widow her late husband "knew what he signed up for." https://t.co/hDk2mtS9Gl http://pic.twitter.com/mn1xLokuQM
— ABC News (@ABC) October 18, 2017
In remarks to reporters Wednesday morning, Trump challenged Wilson to repeat her accusation.
Pres. Trump denies lawmaker's account of call with fallen soldier's family: "Didn't say what that congresswoman said. Didn't say it at all." http://pic.twitter.com/ftawRpMPTE
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 18, 2017
Wilson fired back on Twitter, “I still stand by my account of the call b/t @realDonaldTrump and Myeshia Johnson. That is her name, Mr. Trump. Not “the woman” or “the wife””
I still stand by my account of the call b/t @realDonaldTrump and Myeshia Johnson. That is her name, Mr. Trump. Not "the woman" or "the wife"
— Rep Frederica Wilson (@RepWilson) October 18, 2017
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Johnson’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, confirmed Wilson’s account and blasted Trump as being ‘disrespectful.’
Sgt. La David T. Johnson’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, told The Washington Post that she was present during the call from the White House on Tuesday to Johnson’s widow, Myeshia Johnson. Johnson’s mother also stood by an account of the call from Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) that Trump told Johnson’s widow that her husband “must have known what he signed up for.”
“President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband,” Jones-Johnson said.
Video of Wilson posted by ABC to Twitter features Wilson talking to Meghan McCain on The View, with McCain criticizing Wilson for talking about the private conversation between the President and the widow. Wilson spoke about her long-standing relationship with the fallen soldier, Sgt. La David Johnson, and his family. Wilson said she mentored Johnson from when he was a boy, explaining why she was in the vehicle with Johnson’s widow, Myeshia Johnson, when Trump called.
Wilson stood by her incendiary comments about Trump’s call, but went further and called the attack in Niger, ‘Trump’s Benghazi’. Wilson went off on a litany of attacks about the incident.
WATCH: @RepWilson shares why she spoke out about widow's call with POTUS, saying she's known the fallen soldier's family "all of my life." http://pic.twitter.com/P6Cg14eS8T
— The View (@TheView) October 18, 2017
Wilson said, “I want to know from Mr. Trump, what happened to La David in Niger? Why was he the last one found? Why did it take forty-eight hours for them to discover him? Why wasn’t he in a car, an armored truck? Why did he have weapons weaker than the terrorists weapons? Why were they able to surround them and kill them? This is going to be Mr. Trump’s Benghazi! Because I cannot get the answers, no one can get the answers and I (cross-talk) answers! This whole thing about what he said to the widow is a cover up!”
The Washington Post reported Wednesday night that the Pentagon did not have enough information on the attack until Monday for President Trump to be able to reach out to the families of the fallen.
…The White House has not explained why Trump took so long to comment publicly about the Niger ambush, but officials said Tuesday that he was regularly briefed on the incident during that period. They declined to provide details.
The White House did not receive detailed information from the Defense Department about the four dead soldiers until Oct. 12, and that information was not fully verified by the White House Military Office until Monday, according to a senior White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment on the internal process.
At that point, the official said, Trump was cleared to reach out to the four families — both in letters that were mailed Tuesday and in personal phone calls to family members that day.
“He offered condolences on behalf of a grateful nation and assured them their family’s extraordinary sacrifice to the country will never be forgotten,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said”…
The widow of Sgt. La David Johnson hugs the casket carrying his remains. He was among 4 killed in #Niger Heartbreaking – God Bless her. http://pic.twitter.com/6GxLOh0iiJ
— ginger maddox (@gingercbsmaddox) October 17, 2017
Sgt. Wilson is survived by his pregnant wife and and their two children.
The Democratic Party is further politicizing this with a post by the Florida Democrats.
One is a well-respected member of Congress with a long history of advocating for women and children. The other is Donald Trump. We're with @RepWilson and the family of Sgt. Johnson. #WereWithWilson #SgtLaDavidJohnsonhttps://t.co/7vhCAke11S
— Florida Democrats (@FlaDems) October 18, 2017
“One is a well-respected member of Congress with a long history of advocating for women and children. The other is Donald Trump. We’re with @RepWilson and the family of Sgt. Johnson. #WereWithWilson #SgtLaDavidJohnson”
The post ‘Trump’s Benghazi’: Democrat Congresswoman in Phone Call Fight With Trump Accuses President of Niger Cover-Up appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
