As soon as I saw this splashing across social media, I knew the real story couldn't be what was being claimed. As the story went, President Trump called up the parents of a fallen soldier and insulted both them and him, basically saying, hey, he knew the risks, that's the breaks.
And this came from a Democrat congresswoman who was on the call and heard what was said. Once she ran to the media with this story, they ran with it as if her account was unassailable. The president fired back that the whole thing was fabricated, of course, but once an anti-Trump notion is established in the public, those so inclined simply assume the version that makes Trump look worst is true and take no interest in any further information.
Blatantly exploiting a family's tragedy for the purpose of creating yet another anti-Trump media narrative
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly lost a son in Afghanistan, and knows this pain. He was also on the call in question, and when he heard Congresswoman Wilson's claims about what had happened, he was flabbergasted. That's not what happened at all. And he felt compelled to say so to the White House press corps.
The bit about knowing what he was getting into, as I suspected, was not by way of dismissing the sacrifice but rather was to honor the bravery of the young man. Congresswoman Wilson took those words and twisted them about as dishonestly as a person could - blatantly exploiting a family's tragedy for the purpose of creating yet another anti-Trump media narrative.
Virtually nothing left in our society that we can keep free of partisan politics
Now, you'll say, Wilson has not backed down, and supposedly even the parents backed up her account that Trump disrespected them and their son. Who do you believe? Does John Kelly seem like the kind of guy who would blatantly lie about this sort of thing, as Wilson is claiming? I think it's more likely that Wilson went on at length to the families and sold them on the idea that Trump had disrespected them, which, if true, succeeded at adding to their pain.
Nice job, lady.
But I think Kelly's larger point is more worth noting. What he's saying is that it seems there is virtually nothing left in our society that we can keep free of partisan politics. We fight about religion. We fight about the flag. We fight about the national anthem. And now we're even making a partisan fight out of the president calling the family of a fallen soldier to give his condolences.
Do you believe that Frederica Wilson is telling the truth and that John Kelly is lying? Or do you believe that Wilson was acting "in the tradition of empty barrels making the most noise"?
If he's faking, it's the most convincing fake indignation I've ever seen - from a man not known for anything of the sort. Do with that what you will.
