Oct 18, 2017

Sanders: Kelly is 'disgusted' by politicization of his son's death

Haley Britzky

Sarah Sanders said in today's White House press briefing that Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly is "disgusted and frustrated" by the way his son's death has become politicized.

Why it matters: It was President Trump who first mentioned Kelly's son, when he told Brian Kilmeade on Fox News Radio to ask Gen. Kelly if he ever got a call from President Obama after his son was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

Q Sarah, did the President speak to his Chief of Staff, General John Kelly, before invoking his son's death in what has become a political argument?

MS. SANDERS: I know he's spoken to General Kelly multiple times yesterday and today.

Q On this very topic? In other words, did General Kelly know he would be raising the issue of his son's memory when talking about the outreach?

MS. SANDERS: I'm not sure if he knew of that specific comment, but they had certainly spoken about it, and he's aware. And they've spoken several times since then.

Q So can you describe how General Kelly feels about it? Is he comfortable with the way his son's memory has been --

MS. SANDERS: I think that General Kelly is disgusted by the way that this has been politicized and that the focus has become on the process and not the fact that American lives were lost. I think he's disgusted and frustrated by that. If he has any anger, it's towards that.

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 7 a.m. ET: 607,965 — Total deaths: 28,125 — Total recoveries: 132,688.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 7 a.m. ET: 104,837 — Total deaths: 1,711 — Total recoveries: 894.
  3. Federal government latest: President Trump signed the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill to provide businesses and U.S. workers economic relief.
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  5. World updates: Italy reported 969 coronavirus deaths on Friday, the country's deadliest day.
  6. Business latest: President Trump authorized the use of the Defense Production Act to direct General Motors to build ventilators for those affected by COVID-19. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has been appointed to enforce the act.
  7. 🏰 1 Disney thing: Both Disney World and Disneyland theme parks in the U.S. are closed until further notice.
  8. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing.
  9. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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