Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., reignited her public dispute with White House chief of staff John Kelly on Wednesday when she asked how many stars he had left to “lose” after his mishandling of domestic violence allegations leveled at White House staff secretary Rob Porter.
“I’m watching him as he loses one star after the other,” Wilson said of the retired four-star U.S. Marine Corps general.
“He started with me, he’s gone on with the other things that he’s done. Dreamers, he insulted them. He is just – he’s in trouble now because he doesn’t know how to do his job. So, how many stars does he have left? Probably not zero,” she continued.
Wilson’s question, however, is moot.
This is because military officers can only be demoted in rank for improper conduct that occurred when they served.
Kelly and Wilson started their public feud in the wake of the deadly Niger ambush in October which left four Army Special Forces personnel dead.
Kelly mischaracterized a speech Wilson gave at a 2015 dedication of an FBI building in her district during a White House press briefing in October while defending the White House’s response to the attack.
Kelly has refused to apologize to Wilson for his error.
Wilson had earlier accused President Trump of being insensitive to Army Sgt. La David Johnson’s widow, Myeshia Johnson, a constituent of hers, after he was killed while on patrol in the West African country.
Wilson’s comments on Wednesday also referenced reports in February of Kelly describing eligible illegal immigrants who did not apply or did not renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status as “lazy.”
This is despite concerns among some “Dreamers” that providing personal information to the Trump administration could make them more vulnerable to deportation.
Kelly has most recently been engulfed in controversy over his initial support for White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who had been unable to obtain a security clearance to work in the West Wing because of allegations he had been physically and emotionally abusive to his two ex-wives during their respective marriages.
Porter has vehemently denied the claims, but resigned from his post earlier this month when the allegations became public.
Kelly has introduced new measures regarding personnel security clearances, seen by many as a reaction to the Porter incident.
