Zach Fuentes, the former deputy White House chief of staff, denied hearing that President Trump once referred to dead U.S. soldiers as “losers” and dead Marines as “suckers.”
Fuentes, a confidant to former White House chief of staff John Kelly, also denied speaking to the outlet about the story written by editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, which was based on four anonymous sources. He speculated that the sources, whom Goldberg described as individuals with “firsthand knowledge” of the matter, are unlikely “firsthand accounts.”
“You can put me on record denying that I spoke with the Atlantic,” Fuentes told Breitbart. “I don’t know who the sources are. I did not hear POTUS call anyone losers when I told him about the weather. Honestly, do you think Gen. Kelly would have stood by and let anyone call fallen Marines losers?”
During a Friday press conference, Trump said that Kelly might have been the source for the report, which he and multiple current and former White House staffers have denied as true.
“I don’t know that it was him. I haven’t seen that. I mean, I see anonymous, but it could have been a guy like a John Kelly,” Trump said.
Trump took aim at his former chief of staff, saying that he “didn’t do a good job. Had no temperament. And, ultimately, he was petered out. He was exhausted.”
“On a separate note, I am disappointed to see POTUS talk about Gen. Kelly so negatively in the middle of being accused of saying negative things about the military,” Fuentes said. “If anyone understands selfless service, it’s Gen. Kelly.”
In reaction to the report, Trump tweeted his thanks to the former White House staffer.
“Just more corrupt Fake News trying to change the course of our most important, ever, Election!” he wrote.
During an interview with CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter, Goldberg said that he expects further confirmation of his story from other journalists and new information to come out.
“Let me just say it this way. I would fully expect more reporting to come out about this and more confirmation and new pieces of information in the coming days and weeks,” Goldberg said.
Other news outlets, including Fox News, reported that they have corroborated parts of the story.
