Showing posts with label Gen. John Kelly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gen. John Kelly. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Gen. Kelly says he'll 'never' apologize for comments about Rep. Frederica Wilson

White House chief of staff John Kelly says he will "absolutely not" apologize for his comments on Rep. Frederica Wilson, adding that he stands by his comments.

When defending Trump in the wake of the feud, Kelly claimed Wilson had boasted of securing "$20 million" in federal funding to build a new FBI field office in Miami during the dedication ceremony for the building in 2015. He also called the congresswoman an empty barrel, saying her remarks focused more on her own actions than the heroism of the two FBI agents for whom the new building had been named.

But a Sun Sentinel video of the building dedication ceremony confirmed that she had not taken credit for the building's funding.

Asked Monday if he felt like he needed to apologize for his comments about Wilson, Kelly said, "Oh, no. No. Never. Well, I'll apologize if I need to. But for something like that, absolutely not. I stand by my comments."

Wilson tweeted Tuesday that she stands by her call for Kelly to apologize to her.

"I stand by what I said. John Kelly owes the nation an apology because when he lied about me, he lied to the American public," she said.

The call in question was to the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was one of four soldiers killed during an ambush in Niger.

"As far as the young widow goes -- she has every right to say what she wants to say," Kelly said, according to a transcript of an interview on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle."

Kelly said he felt Wilson's retelling contributed to "the politicization of something that was so from the heart." Kelly said he was "brokenhearted" by the congresswoman's criticism, and said he had given the President some guidance on consoling the families.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Rep. Al Green Statement Supporting Rep. Frederica Wilson

Watch Congressman Al Green's Floor Statement Supporting Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL) after Donald Trump disrespectfully called the Congresswoman out of her name.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Women of Congressional Black Caucus Demand Apology from John Kelly to Frederica Wilson

CBC Women Demand Apology from White House Chief of Staff John Kelly

Today, the women of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement in response to the South Florida Sun Sentinel's release of a video of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson’s (D-FL) 2015 speech at the dedication of a new Miramar, Florida FBI Building. The video confirms that Wilson’s account of the speech is true and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly's account of the speech is false.

“The women of the Congressional Black Caucus stand in strong support of our colleague, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. Congresswoman Wilson is a woman of impeccable integrity and a dedicated public servant. She is a highly respected Member of Congress who has demonstrated extremely competent leadership on a number of important issues, and we are especially proud of her fearless and uncompromising leadership to fight for the release of nearly 300 Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

“We were appalled by White House Chief of Staff John Kelly’s statements where he called Congresswoman Wilson an ‘empty barrel’ and accused her of taking credit for securing funding for a new FBI Building in Miramar, Florida that was named after two fallen FBI agents, Benjamin Grogan and Jerry Dove. A video of Congresswoman Wilson’s comments on that day has been released, and it provides indisputable proof that she never made any of the statements of which General Kelly falsely accused her.

“General Kelly’s comments are reprehensible. Congresswoman Wilson’s integrity and credibility should not be challenged or undermined by such blatant lies. We, the women of the Congressional Black Caucus, proudly stand with Congresswoman Wilson and demand that General Kelly apologize to her without delay and take responsibility for his reckless and false statements.”

At press time the following CBC women had signed on to the statement: Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH), Karen Bass (D-CA), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Alma Adams (D-NC), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Val Butler Demings (D-FL). Additional names may be added.