Turns out Kelly suggested the "he knew what he signed up for" language.
"...then he said how do you make these calls? If you're not in the family, if you've never worn the uniform, if you've never been in combat, you can't even imagine how to make that call, but I think he very bravely does make those calls.
The call in question that he made yesterday — a day before yesterday now — were to four family members, the four fallen.... But the phone call is made to the next of kin only if the next of kin agrees to take the phone call. Sometimes they don't. So a precall is made. The president of the United States, will you accept the call, and typically they all accept the call. [This is how Frederica got to listen; she knew the call was coming.] So he called four people the other day and expressed his condolences in the best way he could.
The call in question that he made yesterday — a day before yesterday now — were to four family members, the four fallen, and remember, there's a next of kin designated by the individual; if he's married, that's typically the spouse. If he's not married, that's typically the parents, unless the parents are divorced and he selects one of them. If he didn't get along with his parents, he'll select a sibling. But the phone call is made to the next of kin only if the next of kin agrees to take the phone call. Sometimes they don't. So a precall is made. The president of the United States, will you accept the call, and typically they all accept the call. So he called four people the other day and expressed his condolences in the best way he could.
And he said to me, what do I say? I said to him, sir, there's nothing you can do to lighten the burden on these families. Let me tell you what I tell them, let me tell you what my best friend told me because he was my casualty officer: He said Kel, he was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed. He knew what he was getting into by joining that 1 percent. He knew what the possibilities were. Because we're at war. And when he died, and the four cases we're talking about Niger and my son's cases in Afghanistan, when he died he was surrounded by the best men on this Earth, his friends. That's what the president tried to say to four families the other day.
I was stunned when I came to work yesterday morning and broken-hearted at what I saw a member of Congress doing, a member of Congress who listened in on a phone call from the president of the United States to a young wife. And in his way tried to express that opinion that he's a brave man, a fallen hero, he knew what he was getting himself into because he enlisted, there's no reason to enlist, he enlisted and was where he wanted to be, exactly where he wanted to be with exactly the people he wanted to be with when his life was taken. That was the message. That was the message that was transmitted. It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation. Absolutely stuns me. And I thought at least that was sacred.
You know, when I was a kid growing up a lot of things were sacred in our country. Women were sacred. Looked upon with great honor. That's obviously not the case anymore, as we've seen from recent cases. Life was sacred. That's gone. Religion. That seems to be gone as well. Gold Star families, I think that left in the convention over the summer. I just thought the selfless devotion that brings a man or woman to die in the battlefield, I thought that might be sacred.
And when I listened to this woman and what she was saying and what she was doing on TV, the only thing I could do to collect my thoughts was to go and walk among the finest men and women on this Earth. And you can always find them. Because they're in Arlington National Cemetery. Went over there for an hour and a half, walked among the stones, some of whom I put there because they were doing what I told them to do when they were killed. I'll end with this.
In April of 2015, while still on active duty, I went to the dedication of the new FBI field office in Miami. And it was dedicated to two men who were killed in a firefight in Miami against drug traffickers in 1986. A guy by the name of Grogan and Duke. Grogan almost retired, 53 years old. Duke, I think less than a year on the job. They got in a gunfight and killed. Three FBI agents were there, wounded, now retired. We go down and give a brilliant memorial speech to all of the men and women of the FBI who serve our country so well and law enforcement so well. There were family members there. Some of the children were only 3, 4 years old when their dads were killed on that street in Miami-Dade.
Three of the men that survived the fight were there and gave rendition of how brave those men were and how they gave their lives. And a congresswoman stood up and, in the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there in all of that and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building. How she took care of her constituents because she got the money and just called up President Obama and on that phone call he gave the money, the $20 million to build a building, and she sat down. And we were stunned. Stunned that she had done it. Even for someone that is that empty a barrel, we were stunned. But none of us went to the press and criticized. None of us stood up and were appalled. We just said okay, fine.
So I still hope as you write your stories and I appeal to America that let's not let this maybe last thing that's held sacred in our society, a young man, young woman going out and giving his or her life for our country, let's try to somehow keep that sacred. But it eroded a great deal yesterday by the selfish behavior by a member of Congress."
Very moving speech, worth listening to in its entirety. Everyone who was ripping on Trump for this particular issue should be ashamed.
I don't doubt that the president meant to be sympathetic to that family. He's just terrible at it.
I have no doubt that the congresswoman is trying to make hay out of this for political reasons. She's a dope.
But the whole thing is just so sad and awful that I hope it just goes away.
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Yes, this is quite the laughing matter, ain't it?
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...to distract from another instance of our typical military blundering, which threatens to reach record proportions under the Kelly/Mattis/McMaster regime, led, of course,by the Boss.
What a whining crybaby Kelly comes across as in that video. Naturally, you eat up his bullshit, and beg for more.
Why can't the most powerful man in the world and his staff of big, tough (and very wealthy) generals show a bit more of a stiff upper lip when they get a little criticism, especially from a weeping widow.? These wimpy generals are as accustomed to being surrounded by sycophants as Trump is, and they bruise very easily, apparently.
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ever know about this. You sir are an empty barrel also.
i'm betting you didn't even read or listen to the entirety of what Kelly said.
As though I would believe that you care two shits about Kelly, or the death of his son.
Everything about you is fake, and you are terminally obvious.
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His comments to the widow (that he has also lied about not making) were stupid and insensitive.
Not my fault that they were overheard presumably with the permission of the widow.
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She was his mentor. If Kelly was operating in good faith, he'd have acknowledged that. But, alas he was not.
His recounting of the FBI dinner is also factually incorrect, pretty much across the board.
A disappointment.
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I've been at the head of a receiving line at a funeral. In that hour of pain, I heard many things that were offered by people who loved me and wanted to console me, and yet the comments were totally offensive and enraging. "God just loved ____ so much, He decided to take ___ early." Right. I wanted to say.......ok, I won't write what I wanted to say. But, I knew that the person who said that loved me, and wanted to console me. I also realized that most people are not equipped to go through a line like that and say something appropriate. I learned to ignore what they said, to see past what was actually said and listen to what was intended to be communicated.
Trump's comment could have been entirely appropriate depending on the delivery (especially with Kelly's explanation), but out of context it sounds awful to some. I get it. It may have sounded awful to the wife at the time, regardless of how it was delivered. I get it. But, the fact that it was used for political purposes is inexcusable.
Some advice for you all: Going thought a funeral receiving line like that, just say this: "I'm sorry." Maybe "Is there anything I can do?" If you and your audience are the religious type, "We are praying for you." or if not "We are thinking about you." That's it. Keep it short, and just move on after that. You are a fool if you think you will make the person feel better. The only comments they are likely to remember are the obnoxious ones.
didn’t make such calls.
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And Trump's fixer, Kelly, goes after some obscure congresswoman for "disrespect?"
Don't make me laugh.
Two weeks later, and the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight still hasn't come up with a decent lie to peddle the public about what happened in Niger.
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...while they try to cook up a plausible lie.
You skull must be two inches thick, and your brain no bigger than a walnut. Always stay just as you are.
Your friend.
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Even if she was a friend, she's also a politician, and her insertion makes it political.
Kelly wasn't much better though. He didn't once acknowledge the family was offended by what Trump said, which they were, and their feelings are all that really matters.
Then he told a story about the congresswoman to smear her, a story that was apparently incorrect.
And Trumps actions are just as inexcusable, not in his comments to the family, but in the lead up, and then his response after. He said the congresswoman lied, and claimed to have proof. That was, of course, incorrect. The mistake of the congresswoman was in telling the story, not the story itself. She told the truth on that front, and it was confirmed by the family.
He was there. Granted, sometimes witnesses see things through biased eyes (or hear things through biased ears, as Wilson did).
I agree that Trump should not have made this a political issue by mentioning that previous presidents didn't call. That was bullshit as well. I haven't followed his other comments.
One of Trump's biggest faults is that he is too predictable and too quick in his counter-strikes, without thinking it through. That allows his oppoinents to manipulate him. Of course, as much as it bothers you and I, that approach has worked for him his entire life, so I guess it will not change.
The Congresswoman may have told the truth. She may not have. Either way, she put her spin on it. Trump may have delivered it perfectly, but she heard it through anti-Trump ears, and was offended, and voiced it to the media in a way that made it sound worse than it probably was. People who were inclined to hate Trump took offense. People who were inclined to make allowances for Trump made allowances for him. Something like this will not take him down. Not only was it morally reprehensible for Wilson to do this, it was bad politics. She was blinded by her hatred for Trump though, and she made a bad call because of that.
It’s not true.
Also, again no 48 hour rule?
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Everything he says in completely incorrect, and he owes her an apology.
"Three of the men that survived the fight were there and gave rendition of how brave those men were and how they gave their lives. And a congresswoman stood up and, in the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there in all of that and talked about how she was instrumental in getting the funding for that building. How she took care of her constituents because she got the money and just called up President Obama and on that phone call he gave the money, the $20 million to build a building, and she sat down. And we were stunned. Stunned that she had done it. Even for someone that is that empty a barrel, we were stunned. But none of us went to the press and criticized. None of us stood up and were appalled. We just said okay, fine."
Link: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-reg-wilson-kelly-tape-of-speech-20171020-story.html?dfdfdfd