Politics

Trump bashes ‘wacky’ pol who criticized call to Gold Star family

President Trump followed up White House chief of staff John Kelly’s defense of his phone call to a Gold Star widow by once again attacking the Florida lawmaker who listened in on the conversation — branding her “wacky.”

Trump again denied Democratic Rep. Frederica S. Wilson’s claim that he told Myeshia Johnson that her husband, Sgt. La David Johnson, knew “what he signed up for,” even though Kelly seemed to corroborate her account.

“The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilsons (D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!” Trump tweeted late Thursday.

Sgt. La David JohnsonAP

Wilson, a longtime friend of the grieving family, was in the car with Johnson when the president called to offer his condolences.

On Tuesday, Wilson said Trump told Mrs. Johnson that the slain soldier “knew what he signed up for … but when it happens, it hurts anyway.”

“When she got off the phone, she said, ‘He didn’t even know his name. He kept calling him ‘your guy,’” Wilson said of Johnson. “He was calling the fallen soldier ‘your guy.’ And he never said his name because he did not know his name.”

Trump blasted Wilson on Wednesday, saying she “totally fabricated” the comments and that he had “proof” to the contrary. He has not yet produced any such evidence.

The Florida congresswoman, who called Trump a “liar,” said the conversation had been put on speakerphone and overheard by several witnesses.

Cowanda Jones-Johnson, the sergeant’s mother, said she was present during the call and that she stood by Wilson’s description.

During his impassioned press briefing Thursday, Kelly — whose Marine son was killed in Afghanistan seven years ago — said he was “stunned” by Wilson’s actions.

“It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation. Absolutely stuns me. I would have thought that was sacred,” he said.

The retired Marine general also called Wilson an “empty barrel” who “makes noise” — but he did not deny her account of the phone call, as the president had this week.