So we are punishing our military for killing terrorist.
After eight years, two investigations and the intervention of a congressman, Maj. Matthew Golsteyn is being charged with murder in the death of an Afghan man during a 2010 deployment.
Golsteyn’s commander “has determined that sufficient evidence exists to warrant the preferral of charges against him,” U.S. Army Special Operations Command spokesman Lt. Col. Loren Bymer told Army Times in a brief email statement Thursday.
“Major Golsteyn is being charged with the murder of an Afghan male during his 2010 deployment to Afghanistan,” Bymer wrote.
The major’s attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, told Army Times that he and his client learned of the charges on Thursday as well, and that the murder charge carries with it the possibility of a death penalty.
Stackhouse called his client a “humble servant-leader who saved countless lives, both American and Afghan, and has been recognized repeatedly for his valorous actions.”
Bymer confirmed that Golsteyn has been recalled to active duty and is under the command of the USASOC headquarters company. An intermediary commander will review the warrant of preferred charges to determine if the major will face an Article 32 hearing that could lead to a court-martial.
That commander has 120 days to make that decision.
Golsteyn had been placed on voluntary excess leave, an administrative status for soldiers pending lengthy administrative proceedings, Bymer said. He is not being confined at this time.
The path to these charges has been a winding one.
Golsteyn, a captain at the time, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 with 3rd Special Forces Group. During the intense Battle of Marja, explosives planted on a booby-trapped door killed two Marines and wounded three others who were working with the major’s unit.
During those heated days, Golsteyn earned a Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award for valor, when he helped track down a sniper targeting his troops, assisted a wounded Afghan soldier and helped coordinate multiple airstrikes.
He would be awarded that medal at a 2011 ceremony at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The award was later approved for an upgrade to the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest award for valor.
But both the medal and his coveted Special Forces tab would be stripped from him due to an investigation that eventually closed in 2014 without any charges.
An Army board of inquiry recommended a general discharge for Golsteyn and found no clear evidence the soldier violated the rules of engagement while deployed in 2010. This would have allowed Golsteyn to retain most of his retirement benefits under a recommended general discharge under honorable conditions.
Though he was cleared of a law of armed conflict violation, the board found Golsteyn’s conduct as unbecoming an officer.
Golsteyn was out of Special Forces and in a legal limbo as he awaited a discharge.
That could have been the end of it, but in mid-2015, Army documents surfaced, showing that Golsteyn allegedly told CIA interviewers during a polygraph test that he had killed an alleged Afghan bomb-maker and later conspired with others to destroy the body.
Those documents were part of a 2011 report filed by an Army investigator, Special Agent Zachary Jackson, who reported that Golsteyn said after the Marines were killed in the February blast that his unit found bomb-making materials nearby, detained the suspected bomb-maker and brought him back to their base.
A local tribal leader identified the man as a known Taliban bomb-maker. The accused learned of the leader’s identification, which caused the tribal leader to fear he would kill him and his family if released.
Trusting the leader and having also seen other detainees released, Golsteyn allegedly told CIA interviewers that he and another soldier took the alleged bomb-maker off base, shot him and buried his remains.
He also allegedly told the interviewers that on the night of the killing, he and two other soldiers dug up the body and burned it in a trash pit on base.
Stackhouse has previously called this alleged admission a “fantasy” that his client confessed to shooting an unarmed man.
Then, in late 2016, during an interview with Fox News, Golsteyn admitted to a version of the incidents involving the killing of the alleged Afghan bomb-maker.
The Army opened a second investigation near the end of 2016.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, himself a Marine veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, stepped in on Golsteyn’s behalf, writing a letter to the Army secretary and making scathing public comments about the case, calling the Army’s investigation “retaliatory and vindictive.”
The congressman called on Army leadership to “fix this stupidity,” describing Golsteyn as “a distinguished and well regarded Green Beret.”
Unrelated to the Golsteyn case, Hunter was indicted earlier this year by federal prosecutors who are alleging conspiracy, wire fraud, falsification of records and prohibited use of campaign contributions.
Trump Criticized Obama Over Syria And He Does The Same Thing.
President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered precision missile strikes on Syria in reaction to the use of chemical weapons by Bashar al-Assad.
“These are not the actions of a man, but crimes of a monster,” Trump said, condemning Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons against his people.
The president made his remarks at the White House on Friday evening.
He described al-Assad’s actions an “evil and despicable attack”
Trump indicated that the United States was teaming up with Britain and France to launch the strikes.
He described their attacks as “righteous power” employed the “barbarism and brutality” of chemical weapons.
The president confirmed that these attacks would be greater than last year, and would last longer than his limited strike in 2017.
“We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents.”
The president called out Russia and Iran for supporting Assad in Syria.
“To Iran and to Russia I ask what kind of a nation wants to be associated with a mass murder of innocent men, women and children?”
Trump specifically called out Russia for their support of Assad, urging them to stop backing the Syrian dictator.
“Russia must decide whether it will continue down this dark path,” Trump
Say a prayer for our military families. Lord, keep them safe.
US families urged to leave military bases near Seoul amid fears North Korea WAR ‘close’
FAMILIES of US military should leave South Korea because war between America and Pyongyang is “getting close”, according to a senior US Senator and ex-Air Force Colonel.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has warned that the rising tensions between the the US and Kim Jong-un’s corrupt regime means preparations for war need to be taken.
The member of the Senate Armed Services Committee warned the US was “running out of time” to prepare itself for war when speaking on CBS yesterday.
He said: “I want the Pentagon to stop sending dependents and I think it’s now time to start moving American dependents out of South Korea.
“We’re getting close to a military conflict because North Korea is marching toward marrying up the technology of an ICBM with a nuclear weapon on top that can not only get to America, but deliver the weapon.
“We’re running out of time.”
Fears of war between the two countries hit a new high last week after the rogue state announced they had successfully tested a missile capable of targeting any part of the US equipped with a nuclear weapon.
The launch ended over 60 days of silence from North Korea’s missile programme after regular missile tests paused in September.
According to South Korea’s military, the latest missile flew some 596 miles (960km) to an altitude of around 2,796 miles (4,500km).
Following the launch Hawaii began immediate test to prepare for a nuclear strike.
Authorities on the island began to test a wailing siren, which represents an emergency, for a minute on Friday.
It was the first nuclear attack warning siren tested in the state since the Cold War.
Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency administrator Vern Miyagi said: “Hawaii is a likely target because we’re closer to North Korea than most of the continental United States…
“As we track the news and see tests, both missile launches, and nuclear tests, it’s the elephant in the room.”
Mr Graham’s calls for families to be evacuated from South Korea comes after White House national security adviser HR McMaster warned on Saturday that the issue of North Korea was close to reaching a climax.
Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California he said: “I think it’s increasing every day, which means that we are in a race, really, we are in a race to be able to solve this problem.”
Addressing the UN in September he referred to Kim Jong-un as “rocket man on a mission” and has said that seeking a diplomatic solution is a “waste of time”.
Addressing South Korea’s National Assembly in October the US President also said America would “not be intimidated” by Kim Jong-un’s rhetoric.
He warned in his speech that he had the “three largest aircraft carriers in the world are appropriately positioned” to face Pyongyang.
REVEALED: La David Johnson Betrayed Fellow Soldiers in Niger Ambush
Washington, DC – The attack by Islamic militants in the central African country of Niger that left four American military members dead and triggered a public fight between President Donald Trump and Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, of Florida, is hiding a far more dark episode in our nation’s military. New evidence has emerged that reveals that Sgt. La David T. Johnson, the center of the fracas between President Trump and Rep. Wilson, had betrayed his own squad by helping to set up the ambush in Niger by Islamic militants that would ultimately lead to the death of three American soldiers as well as his own.
Where is Niger anyway?
Niger is a landlocked, west African country bordered by Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad. Since its independence from France in 1960, it has experienced military rule, countless coups and now a democratically elected government. The current president of Niger is Issoufou Mahamadou.
A map of Niger showing the precise location Niamey where the ambush of the American soldiers took place.
According to the CIA World Factbook, Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. Food production isn’t keeping up with the population growth due to the arid climate, the lack of arable land and the high fertility rate.
Niger however is rich in natural resources and Islamic terrorists have targeted Niger in order to hurt its economy. Uranium mines, which are abundant in Niger, have been the target of recent terrorist attacks aimed at undermining the democratically elected government.
Why were U.S. troops in Niger and when did they get there?
U.S. troops started arriving in Niger in 2013. During this time, extremists were on the rise in northwest Africa. The French had intervened in Mali in 2012 when an al-Qaeda affiliated group and other tribal groups took control of the northern part of the country. In addition, Boko Haram continued its assault on Nigeria through bombings and killings.
Members of the Islamic militant group Boko Haram.
Former president Barack Obama deployed 40 U.S. military personnel to provide support to the French forces. This brought the total number of troops in Niger to 100 in 2013. However, the small troop numbers were grossly insufficient to deal with the complexity of the insurgency and Islamic terrorist activities. The number of U.S. troops in Niger has since ballooned to 800. In a letter to the House speaker at the time, Obama claimed,
“This deployment will provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali, and with other partners in the region.”
Currently, troops are assisting the U.S. Embassy in Niger’s capital of Niamey, while others are working on construction efforts at Air Base 201 in Agadez, according to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).
What does the White House want to say happened on October 4 in Niger?
On October 4, four soldiers died in Niger “as a result of hostile fire while on a reconnaissance patrol,” according to the Defense Department. According to the Pentagon, twelve American soldiers were attending a routine patrol in the area when they were ambushed by up to 100 Islamic militants who engaged in a fierce firefight with the patrol. Four American soldiers died that day and the first three identified were Army Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, Army Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39 and Army Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29.
The fourth soldier identified was Sgt. La David T. Johnson, 25 – the soldier whose widow President Donald Trump called and the source of the controversy between President Trump and Representative Frederica Wilson.
Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., has stood by her claim that President Donald Trump made insensitive remarks to Myeshia Johnson, the widow of a slain soldier.
Although Johnson is said to have died on October 4, his body was found over a mile away from the site of the Islamic militant’s ambush and it took a whole 48 hours to retrieve his body, according to the Defense Department.
According to a New York Times report, the Pentagon has been trying to determine whether American forces involved in the deadly ambush in Niger diverted from their routine patrol to embark on an unapproved mission, according to military officials.
American and Nigerien soldiers on the patrol have given conflicting accounts about whether they were simply ambushed or were attacked after trying to chase Islamic insurgents, according to military officials from both countries.
One of the main problems with the timeline in Niger is that the area which was alleged to have been patrolled by U.S. forces was familiar to the soldiers and had not been deemed to have required additional security. The area had been patrolled numerous times with no incident.
Defense Secretary James Mattis answers reporters’ questions about the American soldiers who were killed in Niger before a lunch meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and other officials at the Pentagon on October 19, 2017 in Arlington, Virginia.
However, according to the survivors of the ambush, Johnson’s body was found a good mile away from the point at which Islamic militants launched their ambush. In response to media queries why it took so long to recover Johnson’s body, an irate Secretary of Defense, James Mattis said to the media,
“The U.S. military does not leave its troops behind, and I would just ask that you not question the actions of the troops who were caught in the firefight and question whether or not they did everything they could in order to bring everyone out at once.”.
John Kelly, President Trump’s chief of staff, said on October 19 that more was known about events than has been reported in the press but that he would not disclose it. That “more” is precisely what led to the controversy when President Trump called the widow of Johnson and said “he knew what he signed up for.”
What can’t the White House say?
According to a senior White House official who was privy to the discussions between the Pentagon and the Oval Office regarding the Niger ambush and requested anonymity, part of the reason that President Trump took four days before he could publicly comment on the death of the American soldiers is that Johnson was the one who had leaked the position of the patrol to Islamic militants who then launched the ambush, which killed three of Johnson’s fellow soldiers.
President Donald Trump speaks on the phone in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington., DC.
The White House was incredulous that a betrayal from an exemplary soldier was possible and they spent four long days trying to confirm what the Pentagon was claiming happened. The bigger question was whether to admit that Johnson had betrayed his squad – no matter how you spun this information – there would be no winners, only losers. Ultimately, the decision was taken to cover up the fact that Johnson had betrayed the position of his squad to Islamic terrorists. Understanding why Johnson, who was highly regarded by his military peers, would do such a thing was far more complex.
Who is La David Johnson?
La David T. Johnson was a husband and father to a 2-year-old son and a 6-year-old-daughter and was set to welcome his third child in January. According to MilitaryTimes.com, Johnson joined the Army in January 2014 and was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina.
A screengrab of La David Johnson’s Facebook page showing a photo of him before he shipped out.
Highly regarded by his military peers, Staff Sgt. Dennis Bohler, a close friend of Johnson’s who was also Johnson’s supervisor at Fort Bragg, said Johnson rose through the ranks rapidly – from a private to a sergeant in less than three years. According to Bohler,
“He caught on quickly. You tell him once, and it’s complete, any task.”
“He was just that one soldier that always wanted to better himself every day. Every day, he wanted to do better than he did yesterday.”
Lt. Col. David Painter, commander of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), said in a statement that,
“The Bush Hog formation (the Battalion nickname) was made better because of Johnson’s faithful service and we are focused on caring for the Johnson family during this difficult period.”
Bohler added,
“(Johnson) had some pretty good upbringing. He didn’t do any drinking. He didn’t do any smoking. He was a family-oriented soldier.”
However something changed for Johnson when Donald Trump was elected as President in November 2016. Fellow soldiers who were deployed with him in Niger and who spoke on condition of anonymity claim that Johnson went through a period of introspection shortly after Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election to Donald Trump in 2016. According to one soldier,
“There was a sense that Johnson didn’t feel like he knew what he was fighting for anymore.”
Johnson hated Donald Trump and thought that he was a white supremacist and a racist and made that clear in conversations with other soldiers. Whereas before, Johnson was more than happy to serve under former president Barrack Obama, the thought of serving under President Donald Trump was something that he had not prepared for.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem to protest police treatment of black suspects. Kaepernick has been found to have donated significant sums to a group which glorifies violence against police officers and celebrates the life of convicted cop-killer Assanta Shakur.
Then came Charlottesville and the Colin Kaepernick controversy flared up. According to another soldier deployed in Niger with Johnson and who also requested anonymity,
“There was Charlottesville and then there was the whole Colin Kaepernick thing and that really set David off.”
“He was furious that the president would speak in defense of white supremacists and he questioned what he was still doing out here instead of being with his family.”
However, there was no way for Johnson to request to return back to the U.S. As a special forces soldier, he was torn between his duty to fight alongside his squad and his desire to give up the fight. Which is when he decided to commit the ultimate betrayal, leak the position of his squad to Islamic terrorists in the hopes they would set up an ambush and use the opportunity to flee, and cite psychological trauma as a grounds to return back to the U.S.
What really happened on October 4 in Niger?
On October 4, Johnson’s squad had heard reports that a leader of a militant group had been coming from Mali to resupply on fuel and food at Tongo Tongo, whose villagers are seen as sympathetic to the extremists. The Americans were keen to follow up with the Tongo Tongo village chief when they saw motorbikes in the horizon – a sign of likely terrorist activity. Motorbikes are the vehicle of choice of insurgent groups operating in the area, allowing them to easily navigate the harsh terrain, especially now, the end of the muddy rainy season.
Sgt. La David T. Johnson was an exemplary soldier who lost focus on his mission and his loyalty to the flag, the country and the President.
Eventually, after talking to the village chief, the troops got into their vehicles to return to their base, a two-hour drive. But less than five minutes after they drove out of the village, the convoy was ambushed by a group that outnumbered them two to one.
According to a Nigerian official, about 100 armed insurgents, many of whom were on motorbikes – two or three people a bike – as well as others in about 10 sport utility vehicles, surrounded the Americans. They were armed with heavy weapons, including anti-aircraft weaponry as well as rocket-propelled grenades, and a firefight lasting about two to three hours ensued.
During this time, two or three vehicles in Johnson’s convoy were destroyed and part of the convoy became separated when at least one of the Land Cruisers became stuck in the mud. According to the New York Times, Johnson was in the vehicle that had gotten stuck, along with Nigerian soldiers who also died.
However, American forces who survived the fight described one Land Cruiser driving away from the ambush at high speed in the opposite direction of the convoy. That Land Cruiser was driven by Johnson and was the only Land Cruiser that contained Nigerian soldiers and no other French or American soldiers. According to one survivor who spoke on condition of anonymity as investigations are still ongoing,
“As we came under heavy fire, I looked up and saw Johnson jump into one of the Land Cruisers and speed off in the other direction. That Land Cruiser was manned by the Nigerian soldiers who were with us, so I thought it was weird that he would do that instead of providing covering fire.”
Nigerian officials shared intelligence with the American forces in Niger that the meeting with the Tongo Tongo village chief had been arranged by Johnson and that he had leaked the information of the size of the squad and the convoy that would be at the village that day. This gave the Tongo Tongo village chief ample opportunity to stall for time as the Islamic militants brought down overwhelming firepower on the unsuspecting American soldiers. Johnson, who had intended to flee all along would have succeeded if not for the fact that he was shot and killed by a member of his own convoy.
Islamic militants in Niger are heavily armed and fanatical, making them an enormous threat to American forces on the ground.
Which is why the American forces in Niger were extremely reluctant to return to pick up Johnson’s body. The bodies of the Nigerian soldiers in the Land Cruiser with Johnson were picked up on the day of the deadly firefight, but it took the Americans a whole 48 hours to reconcile Johnson’s betrayal before they decided to return and pick up his body.
When Johnson’s personal effects were gathered, a letter was found to Johnson’s wife, which spoke at length about how he no longer felt that it was justifiable to put himself in harm’s way for a “racist president” and that he would “find a way out, no matter what.”
President Trump’s phone call with Johnson’s widow
President Trump was well aware of Johnson’s betrayal, but decided ultimately that in the interest of keeping the nation united, it would be best to let Johnson’s betrayal go unmentioned, after all, his death was punishment enough – no need to go any further. However, true patriot that President Trump is, he struggled in the phone call to Myeshia Johnson – La David T. Johnson’s widow.
Myeshia Johnson at the funeral of her husband Sgt. La David T. Johnson, who will be remembered as a hero, despite evidence to the contrary.
During the call, President Trump told Myeshia Johnson that her husband “must have known what he signed up for,” according to an account from Wilson, who was riding in a limousine with the soldier’s family when the President called. What Representative Wilson did not know, was that President Trump was struggling with speaking kind words for a soldier who had committed the ultimate sin, betraying his fellow soldiers. According to a senior White House communications aide who asked not to be named and was standing next to the President during the phone call,
“The President really struggled.”
“He wanted to provide comfort to Johnson’s widow, but at the same time, the knowledge that he was saying kind words about a traitor, that was too much for the President, which is why he said Johnson ‘must have known what he signed up for’.”
Ultimately, Johnson’s betrayal and death are a mere reflection of the division that is tearing up this country. An unsettling trend is sweeping across the country, where vows are no longer sacred and symbols are no longer respected and it has reached such a point where it’s even undermining the integrity of our military. Johnson may have been a deserter, but he did not need to be a traitor and it was his traitorous act which resulted in the loss of three other loyal American soldiers who were in country to do their job – defend our freedoms.
As Johnson is buried today as a hero, the true heroes are the ones who chose to let him be remembered that way, because it is better he died as a symbol of unity, then that he expose the truth about the division which plagues our democracy.
Harvard: North Korea Preparing Smallpox, Plague Attacks
Aside from threatening nuclear war against the United States, North Korea is also suspected of secretly developing a vast biological-weapons program that could unleash fear and death in crowded cities, a Harvard University study warns.
“North Korea is likely to use biological weapons before or at the beginning of a conflict to disrupt society and create panic, incapacitate societies, and/or cause a significant military diversion,” says the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School.
The study also warns that North Korea could deliver such weapons in several manners, including janitors.
“It is theoretically possible that North Korean sleeper agents disguised as cleaning and disinfection personnel could disperse BW agents with backpack sprayers,” the Harvard report said.
North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un is believed to be developing biological agents such as anthrax, cholera and smallpox, London’s Daily Mail reported.
The Harvard report also notes that the exact extent of the biological-weapons program is hard to determine because many of the agents also are used in agricultural programs.
The study comes as Kim unleashes threats against the United States almost daily, while Washington prepares to defend against a surprise attack. The U.S. Air Force has put its fleet of B-52 bombers, which can carry nuclear weapons, on 24-hour alert for the first time since the end of the Cold War.
War of words: Trump denies telling Special Forces soldier’s widow in speakerphone call to family that her husband ‘knew what he signed up for’ – as congresswoman who heard it says president ‘has a brain disorder’ and didn’t even know slain man’s name
Donald Trump called the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson on Tuesday afternoon
Myeshia Johnson was on her way to Miami airport where her husband’s remains were arriving when she took the president’s call
Rep. Frederica Wilson said she was sitting beside the grieving widow when Trump said on speakerphone that the slain solider ‘knew what he signed up for’
The widow ‘was in tears. And she said, “He didn’t even remember his name!”‘
Heartbreaking footage later showed Johnson, who is pregnant with the couple’s third child, sobbing over her husband’s flag-draped coffin
Trump denied saying that, tweeting on Wednesday morning that that the ‘Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said … (and I have proof)’
‘Yes, he said it,’ Wilson told WPLG; ‘It’s so insensitive. He should have not have said that. He shouldn’t have said it’
Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Jordan was also in the car and backed up Wilson’s version of the call in an MSNBC interview, as did Johnson’s mother
Wilson said Wednesday on CNN: ‘This gentleman has a brain disorder, and he needs to be checked out. … We should be praising his family, not insulting them’
A GoFundMe page set up for Johnson’s three children’s college funds has already raised more than $300,000 in one day
President Donald Trump has come under fire for his ‘insensitive’ choice of words when speaking to the pregnant widow of one of the four U.S. Special Forces soldiers killed in Niger.
Trump phoned Myeshia Johnson on Tuesday afternoon to give his condolences over the death of her husband Sgt. La David Johnson, according to Rep. Frederica Wilson.
During the five minute call, Wilson said, Trump told Johnson that her 25-year-old husband ‘knew what he signed up for… but when it happens it hurts anyway.’
The remark – delivered with a car full of people listening on speakerphone – drew instant condemnation, but Trump said Wednesday morning that it was entirely made up.
‘Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!’ the president tweeted.
A White House spokesperson did not respond to a question Wednesday morning about what Trump’s evidence consists of.
Wilson fired back quickly on CNN, citing several people in the car who were aware of Trump’s remarks and saying: ‘This gentleman has a brain disorder, and he needs to be checked out. … We should be praising his family, not insulting them.’
President Trump phoned Myeshia Johnson on Tuesday afternoon to give his condolences over the death of her husband Sgt. La David Johnson; Rep. Frederica Wilson said Trump told her the slain solider ‘knew what he signed up for’
Trump denied making the insensitive remark, tweeting on Wednesday that the congresswoman ‘totally fabricated’ it
Johnson, who is expecting the couple’s third baby in January, later sobbed as she leaned over her husband’s coffin
‘I have no reason to lie about the President of the United States,’ Wilson insisted, citing ‘her aunt, her uncle, my press person, the driver [and] the master sergeant’ as people who heard Trump speak.
She said Trump ‘should be asking for an apology, and asking, giving her some empathy and love, and wrapping his arms around this family … instead of calling me a liar and claiming everyone else in the car is a liar.’
Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, was among the four US troops who were killed in Niger nearly two weeks ago during an ambush
‘We’re grieving! This is a grieving community!’ Wilson exclaimed. ‘It is disgraceful for him to even tweet about this.’
Wilson had said she was sitting beside the grieving widow when she took the call, while they were on their way to Miami International Airport where Johnson’s remains were arriving on a commercial flight.
On MSNBC, she said that the call ‘was horrible. It was insensitive. It was absolutely crazy. Unnecessary. I was livid!’
And the widow Mrs. Johnson, she recalled, ‘was in tears. And she said, “He didn’t even remember his name!”‘
‘Yes, he said it,’ Wilson had told WPLG on Tuesday evening.
‘It’s so insensitive. He should have not have said that. He shouldn’t have said it.’
Also travelling in the car to the airport on Tuesday was Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Jordan, who said she was shocked by what she heard.
Commissioner: Trump told widow ‘he knew what he signed up for’
‘What the family wants to hear is words of encouragement, words of how he fought for his country, what his sacrifice meant for this country … not, “You know what you signed up for”,’ she said on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ program.
Johnson’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, told The Washington Post that she heard Trump’s words, and that ‘President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter, and also me and my husband.’
Asked if Wilson’s recollection of the call was accurate, she replied: ‘Yes.’
Heartbreaking footage later showed Johnson, who is expecting the couple’s third baby in January, sobbing as she leaned over her husband’s flag-draped coffin.
The couple’s six-year-old daughter stood by the coffin with her mother, while their two-year-old son waited in the arms of a relative standing nearby.
Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton reacted on Twitter to news of Trump’s phone call saying: ‘Mrs Johnson, I cannot begin to imagine your loss. Your family & all who mourn Sgt. Johnson are in my prayers & those of countless Americans.’
rump on Tuesday called the families of the four US troops who were killed in Niger nearly two weeks ago.
It came a day after he said he would call them at the ‘appropriate time’ when questioned about his public silence.
‘President Trump spoke to all four of the families of those who were killed in action in Niger,’ White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement late Tuesday.
‘He offered condolences on behalf of a grateful nation and assured them their family’s extraordinary sacrifice to the country will never be forgotten.’
Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright and Sgt. La David Johnson were all killed when militants thought to be affiliated with the Islamic State group ambushed them while they were patrolling in unarmored trucks with Niger troops.
