Kelly defends Trump's call to war widow
WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff John Kelly delivered an extraordinary denunciation of a Democratic congresswoman Thursday, accusing her of politicizing what he called a “sacred” presidential effort to console the grieving loved ones of a slain soldier.
Kelly, in an unexpected and emotional appearance in the White House briefing room, invoked the death of his own son, killed in Afghanistan in 2010, as he lashed out at Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida, who earlier this week said that President Donald Trump had been disrespectful in his condolence call to the family of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed during an ambush in Niger.
Kelly, speaking slowly and forcefully, said he was “heartbroken” that Wilson overheard the conversation and used it to attack the president.
“I was stunned when I came to work yesterday and brokenhearted at what I saw a member of Congress doing,” Kelly said. “It stuns me. And I thought at least that was sacred.”
Kelly absolved Trump of blame, suggesting that the president did the best he could in one of the most challenging aspects of his job.
“If you’re not in the family, if you have never worn the uniform, if you have never been in combat, you can’t imagine how to make that phone call,” Kelly said.
Trump — who has frequently struggled showing empathy to those grieving, including those in Puerto Rico after the devastating hurricane — has emphatically rejected claims that he was disrespectful. But he ignited a storm of his own this week when he boasted about his commitment to calling service members’ next of kin and brought Kelly into the controversy by wondering aloud if President Barack Obama had called the former Marine general after the death of Kelly’s son.
Kelly confirmed Thursday that Obama had not called, but he made clear “that’s not a criticism.”
“That’s not a negative thing,” he said. “I don’t believe all presidents call. I believe they all write.”
Kelly did say that when Trump took office, he urged the president not to make those family calls, saying “I said to him, ‘Sir there’s nothing you can do to lighten the burden on these families.”’
But when Trump indicated he wanted to do so, Kelly revealed to him what General Joseph Dunford, now chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told him when Robert Kelly was killed. Kelly recalled that Dunford said his son “was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed. He knew what he was getting into. He knew what the possibilities were because we’re at war.”
