Oct 18, 2017

Trump disputes congresswoman's claim on what he told military widow

Alayna Treene

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) told CNN Wednesday that President Trump told the young widow of a U.S. serviceman killed in Niger, "Basically... he knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurt." Wilson, who said she overheard the conversation on speakerphone in the car, called Trump a "sick man" and said the family was "astonished."

Trump hit back on Twitter:

Get smart: Trump did not specify what that "proof" was. A White House official said Tuesday the conversations the President has with families of fallen service members are "private."

Flashback: Trump's tweet is reminiscent of when he suggested he might have taped his oval office conversations.

More details, per the Washington Post:

  • Rep. Wilson said Trump made Sgt. Johnson's widow, Myeshia, cry. "It was horrible. It was insensitive. It was absolutely crazy, unnecessary. I was livid," Wilson said. "She was in tears. And she said, 'He didn't even remember his name.'"
  • The Post got in touch with Sgt. Johnson's mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, who was in the car during the call from the White House. She said "President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband." And when asked whether Rep. Wilson's account of the conversation between Trump and the family was accurate, she replied: "Yes."

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