Rep. Wilson: ‘I’m Not Trying to Politicize’ Trump’s Call to Grieving Widow ‘But…It Was a Disgrace’
Rep. Federica Wilson appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe this morning to clarify what she witnessed in a car full of grieving family members of fallen soldier La David Johnson. His name is in the news after the solace that US Presidents (past and present) provide to Gold Star families first mentioned by President Donald Trump during a Monday press conference.
Wilson has alleged that Trump insensitively claimed that Johnson “knew what he signed up for” which has been broadly criticized by political commentators, and has fostered a response from President Trump via Twitter, who has claimed that Wilson “fabricated” her account, to which he claims to have proof.
Fox & Friends has offered a more sympathetic point of view on this controversy, suggesting that Wilson’s account is simply playing politics, and pointing out how the Democratic Congressional representative is an enormous critic of Trump, eager to paint him in the most negative light
In her appearance with a largely sympathetic Morning Joe panel, Wilson appeared to address critics claiming she was playing politics, but doubled down on her own critique of the President, calling his call “a disgrace.”
Watch the clip above, courtesy of MSNBC.
–image via screen capture–
Full Transcript:
WILLIE GEIST, CO-HOST “MORNING JOE”, MSNBC: The president has now made those calls to those families of the fallen in Niger. One of the troops killed in action was Sergeant La David Johnson whose widow spoke to the president by phone yesterday. She was in a car traveling to meet her husband’s remains when the president called, two weeks after her husband’s death.
She spoke to the president on speakerphone surrounded by family and her Congresswoman, Florida Democrat Frederica Wilson. And Congresswoman Wilson joins us now from Miami. She recounted that phone conversation to reporters yesterday. Saying the president told the fallen soldier’s widow that her husband “knew what he signed up for but I guess it still hurts.”
Congresswoman thank you for being with us. If you could just recap what exactly happened yesterday. You’re in the car with Ms. Johnson there. The president calls. It goes up on speakerphone and what did you hear from the president?
CONGRESSWOMAN FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL): Well exactly what you said. But that’s not the worst part. She was crying the whole time and when she hung up the phone she looked at me and said “he didn’t even remember his name.” That’s the hurting part.
GEIST: So I think what’s made some headlines is that the line that you recounted, from the president saying that Sergeant Johnson knew what he was getting into when he signed up. What was the tone and the tenor from the president in those particular comments?
REP. WILSON: He was almost like joking. He said, well I guess you knew he something to the fact that he knew what he was getting into when he signed up. But I guess it hurts anyway.
You know just matter of factly that this is what happens. Anyone who is signing up for military duty is signing up to die. And that’s the way we interpreted it. And it was horrible. It was insensitive. It was absolutely crazy unnecessary. I was livid.
GEIST: Was that Sergeant Johnson’s widow’s read of the call also? Was she upset by it? Or are you speaking for yourself?
REP. WILSON: She was in tears. She was in tears. And she said, he didn’t even remember his name!
JOE SCARBOROUGH, HOST “MORNING JOE”, MSNBC: Katty.
KATTY KAY, LEAD NEWS PRESENTER, BBC WORLD NEWS AMERICA: Congresswoman it’s Katty Kay here. Obviously we haven’t heard directly from Mrs. Johnson, she’s going through an awful lot.
This conversation has become intensely politicized, first from the president but now do you think you have any qualms about from your point of view as a Democratic Congresswoman also politicizing this conversation? Is it right that you are speaking out about what was a conversation between Mrs. Johnson and the president?
REP. WILSON: What I’m really concerned about and I wrote a letter to General Mattis about the circumstances surrounding his death. I’m not trying to politicize what the president said. That letter went out long before the conversation.
I have a real concern because I have been fighting Boko Haram for over three years in the Congress of the United States ever since they kidnapped 274 school girls from a private school in Nigeria. So Bring Back Our Girls is my project in the Congress of the United States. I’ve passed bills; I have been working with Nigeria. I’ve traveled to the region.
And for La David to be from Miami and a part of my mentoring program, the 5,000 Role Models of Excellence from a little boy? And to travel to the area where I have been fighting and to lose his life? Why my goodness I was out of my mind. So I want answers surrounding his death.
I want a complete investigation as to what happened to him. Why he was missing for 48 hours? Why was he in an unarmored car? Why didn’t they have appropriate weapons? Boko Haram is the most dangerous terrorist group in the world. They burn babies and use little girls as suicide bombers.
KAY: Congresswoman you’re quite right there needs to be investigation into this. And there’s been far too little coverage of this. And now the Pentagon is going to have an investigation into how those four soldiers died. And there should be more information.
What I’m asking you specifically is, are you complicit in politicizing this conversation around the deaths of fallen soldiers?
REP. WILSON: Someone asked me a question: did you hear the call? Tell us what you heard. I told them what I heard.
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah. Mark Halperin.
REP. WILSON: That’s not politicizing anything. That was my constituent.
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah. Mark Halperin.
REP. WILSON: I am–
MARK HALPERIN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, MSNBC: Congresswoman spending part of your time helping comfort this family that sacrificed for America. I’m wondering what you either knew before or have learned about Sergeant Johnson that you can share with people, what kind of person he was?
REP. WILSON: Sergeant Johnson was wonderful. He was smart, he was athletic. He’s married to the most wonderful woman who has two children and she is with child. They are devastated. He was raised by his loving aunt and uncle.
He has two younger brothers and they all came through the 5000 Role Models of Excellence project. One of them is in college at Florida International University studying engineering. The other one is in the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Fire College. He’s going to be a fire fighter.
And we have started a scholarship fund for his children. For his two that are living and for the one yet born. And already we have reached $150,000 in one day. We’re asking you to give. It’s La David Johnson Scholarship Fund go fund.
And he was just a wonderful young man. You know in my line of work with the mentoring program, a dropout prevention program, an alternative program; I lose a lot of young black boys every year to crime in the street.
But when a community like mine has a hero that we can lift up and celebrate and love, that’s all we care about. We’re so proud of him and everything that he has accomplished. He died as a Sergeant. He died as a hero. There are not many black Green Berets in the military. So we are so proud of him. And Mr. Trump was extremely insensitive–
(UNKNOWN MALE): All right.
REP. WILSON: To that family and I will stick by that. I’m not trying to politicize it but I think it was a disgrace.
SCARBOROUGH: We completely understand.
REP. WILSON: It was a disgrace.
SCARBOROUGH: Completely understand.
GEIST: Congresswoman Frederica Wilson of Florida thank you so much for your time this morning. For your support of Sergeant Johnson’s family and again, let’s turn this into a positive as you said. Myeshia Johnson’s going to need a lot of support.
She has a 6-year-old, a 2-year-old; she’s 6 months pregnant with another child on the way. So that Go Fund Me page again, La David Johnson. Look it up and donate if you can. Congresswoman thanks so much for your time this morning, we appreciate it.
