Ok, so John Kelly, rather than coming out and decrying the fact Donald Trump used his son as political cannon fodder this week, instead decided to hold an actual press conference to defend Trump’s errant remarks to the widow of an African American service member killed in Niger.
And yes, I am serious. Here are the bullet points from Bloomberg:
- KELLY: NO `PERFECT WAY’ TO CONSOLE FALLEN SOLDIERS’ FAMILIES
- KELLY: TRUMP EXPRESSED CONDOLENCES IN BEST WAY HE COULD
- KELLY SAYS HE WAS `BROKEN HEARTED’ BY CRITICISM OF TRUMP CALL
- President Trump “expressed his condolences in the best way he could,” White House Chief of Staff John Kelly says, adding he was “stunned” and “brokenhearted” at Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson’s criticism of the call between Trump and a killed military service member’s family.
- Kelly, whose son was killed in Afghanistan in 2010, detailed the process presidents and military leaders go through when making those calls
- Kelly says not all presidents make the calls, most send letters, and his recommendation to Trump was to not do the calls
- Says he passed on to Trump a recommendation he got, which was to say the fallen soldier was doing what he wanted to do and knew what he was getting into and, when he died was surrounded by the best men on Earth in his comrades; “that’s what the president tried to say” to the families of those killed in Niger
- Kelly says after criticism blew up, he went to Arlington National Cemetery and walked among the headstones for deceased military service members, some of whom died following his orders
- The issue is deeply personal for Kelly, whose son was killed in Afghanistan in 2010
- Kelly says he got calls from his son’s military friend abroad
- Kelly says Obama didn’t call him personally, and “that’s not a criticism” or “a bad thing”
- Obama hosted Kelly at a breakfast for Gold Star families after his son died, the Associated Press reported, citing White House visitor logs
Here’s Kelly on whether Obama called his son:
Kelly says presidents don't call all Gold Star families: "Pres. Obama, who was my commander-in-chief, did not call my family" after son died pic.twitter.com/PBuPM5vPhS
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 19, 2017
Kelly seemed to confirm Rep. Frederica Wilson’s account of the phone call, which by definition means Trump lied, but he went on to express his disgust with Wilson for “listening in on the phone call” (as though the family didn’t have any say in that):
.@WhiteHouse Chief of Staff John Kelly 'stunned and broken-hearted' by actions of @RepWilson pic.twitter.com/zFxDhMEgvR
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) October 19, 2017
And then – and I can’t even believe I’m saying this – Kelly launched into a critique of how nothing is sacred in America anymore including “women.”
He (clearly) referenced Harvey Weinstein (without actually saying his name) with not even a hint of the hypocrisy in saying that while working for a man who “grabs ’em by the pussy.”
Watch: Kelly laments how Gold Star families are no longer considered sacred after summer presidential conventions https://t.co/KgSckhbxKc
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) October 19, 2017
He even appeared to reference Trump’s ridiculous claim that there’s a “war on Christmas.”
This was a spectacle the likes of which it is difficult to fathom. Simply put: there is no way you’re going to convince us that John Kelly wanted to do this. This was an egregious display obviously orchestrated by Trump and there are no words for it, but you can believe the media is going to have an absolute field day picking it apart.
This will almost undoubtedly go down as one of the most epic boondoggles from this administration to date and just to be clear, this represents an American hero dragging his own good name through the mud on behalf of a President who he knows is a disgrace.
What say you, John Kelly from last month?…
When is this nightmare going to end? America has already died of embarrassment and the American government is the living dead.
“Obama hosted Kelly at a breakfast for Gold Star families after his son died, the Associated Press reported, citing White House visitor logs”
And he still spins it in Trump’s defense. Unbelievable. Either he loves America *that much* or he hates Dems/Obama more than he loves (loved?) his son.
You know things have gone completely to shit when losing your life for the armed forces loses its integrity and becomes the proverbial football among politicians.
Today was really difficult for John Kelly. I fully believe he chose his words carefully. He remains in that WH as his continued service to America. Don’t lose faith in him.
It isn’t like the Executive Branch and all the Past Offices of Presidents – as the quintessential representation of the US government and the people it supposedly represents – have not had more than abundant opportunities in the past couple of hundred years many wars to learn the most appropriate – and even if never adequate – best possible way to express the condolences, appreciation, and sadness of our nation to the families US soldiers killed while defending nation and its interests.
The problem with Donald Trump is that he is a pathological know it all and narcissist and thinks he knows more than all his Presidential predecessors and therefore doesn’t have to learn anything from them. The results of his knowledge and the value of his opinion of his own knowledge – stand in stark and utter contrast to the actual reality of his inadequate knowledge, intellect and psychology. Every day Trump just adds a more embarrassments to his long and sad list of them.