Tag: Gold Star family

Trump undercuts widow again, says he remembered name ‘right from the beginning’

The following article by Ashley Parker was posted on the Washington Post website October 25, 2017:

President Trump said there was “no hesitation” when he called Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson. She said the president couldn’t remember her late husband’s name. Sgt. Johnson was killed in Niger on Oct. 4. (Reuters)

President Trump on Wednesday revived the controversy over his handling of a condolence call with an Army soldier’s widow, disputing Myeshia’s Johnson’s claim that he did not seem to remember her husband’s name and calling into question the memories of others who heard the conversation.

Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before departing for a fundraiser in Dallas, Trump said he called Army Sgt. La David Johnson — who was killed after an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger that is still being investigated — by his correct name “right from the beginning.” Continue reading “Trump undercuts widow again, says he remembered name ‘right from the beginning’”

Gold Star Father Khizr Khan, Who Clashed With Trump During The Election, Goes After Him In California

The following article by Phil Willon of the Los Angeles Times was posted on the National Memo website October 22, 2017:

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim Army captain killed in Iraq who feuded with Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, on Saturday criticized the Trump White House for its clash with a widow of a fallen solider earlier this week.

Khan, speaking to reporters after addressing a National Union of Healthcare Workers conference in Anaheim, said the families of all military members killed in combat deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, especially in the days and weeks immediately following the death of their loved one.

“It was disappointing to see the behavior of (the White House),” Khan said, and then criticized Trump administration officials for standing “in front of the cameras and providing a defense for the indefensible behavior.” Continue reading “Gold Star Father Khizr Khan, Who Clashed With Trump During The Election, Goes After Him In California”

Trump’s alleged ‘knew what he signed up for’ comment to widow is worth caution, but fits a clear pattern

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website October 18, 2017:

Update: Sgt. Johnson’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, has now spoken with The Washington Post, and she says Wilson’s account is accurate. “President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband,” Jones-Johnson said. She said she was in the car at the time but declined to elaborate on the specifics of Wilson’s claim.

A Democratic congresswoman says she was in the car with the widow of a soldier killed in Niger when President Trump made comments that upset the widow. Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (Fla.) says Trump told Myeshia Johnson that her husband, Sgt. La David T. Johnson, “knew what he signed up for.” Appearing on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday, Wilson added that the widow was in tears after the call and lamented that Trump “didn’t even remember his name.” Continue reading “Trump’s alleged ‘knew what he signed up for’ comment to widow is worth caution, but fits a clear pattern”

Fallen soldier’s mother: ‘Trump did disrespect my son’

The following article by Anne Gearan and Kristine Phillips was posted on the Washington Post website October 18, 2017:

President Trump’s response to the deaths of four soldiers in Niger is causing an uproar after Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla) said he told Sgt. La David Johnson’s widow that her husband “knew what he was signing up for.” (Video: Jenny Starrs/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The mother of a soldier killed in an ambush in Africa said Wednesday that President Trump “did disrespect my son” with remarks in a condolence telephone call.

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. She also stood by an account of the call from Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) that Trump told Myeshia Johnson 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. Continue reading “Fallen soldier’s mother: ‘Trump did disrespect my son’”