White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday there are not recordings of President Trump’s phone call with the widow of a U.S. Army soldier killed in Niger, but said others in the room can verify what was discussed.
“There were several people in the room from the administration that were on the call, including Gen. John Kelly,” Sanders told reporters, referencing White House chief of staff John Kelly.
Sanders was asked if there were recordings of Trump’s call with Myeshia Johnson, whose husband, Army Sgt. La David Johnson, was one of four Special Forces killed in an ambush in Niger earlier this month.
Controversy surrounding Trump’s call with Johnson began last night when Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., said the president told Johnson her husband “knew what he signed up for … but when it happens, it hurts anyway.”
The president tweeted Wednesday morning he had “proof” Wilson “totally fabricated” what he said during his phone call with Johnson.
Trump said Monday he was planning to call the families of all the soldiers killed in Niger, and had already written letters to them.
The president also criticized his predecessors, including former President Barack Obama, for rarely calling the family members of service members killed in action.
His comments drew sharp rebuke from former aides to Obama.
