EXCLUSIVE: Inside the desert city that's critical to the war on terror http://cnn.it/2vISsWD
Trump finally comments on soldier deaths in Niger; falsely knocks Obama over his responses to dead s
- Thread starter MASTERBAKER
- Start date
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the desert city that's critical to the war on terror http://cnn.it/2vISsWD
Trump finally comments on soldier deaths in Niger; falsely knocks Obama over his responses to dead soldiers
Trump: Obama didn't call slain troops' families 02:04
Story highlights
He also claimed, without merit, that his predecessors hadn't written or called the families of slain American troops during their tenures, though the tradition of presidents reaching out after US servicemen are killed in action is long-established.
Trump said he'd written the letters over the weekend, and suggested they'd be mailed early this week. He was speaking 12 days after the ambush -- the deadliest combat incident since he took office.
Trump silent as questions remain over deadly Niger ambush
"I felt very, very badly about that," Trump said during a press availability in the Rose Garden. "I always feel badly. It is the toughest calls I have to make are the calls where this happens, soldiers are killed."
He then claimed that other commanders in chief hadn't reached out to families of Americans killed in action, indicating he'd been told as much by the generals who serve in his administration.
"All I can do is ask my generals," Trump said. "Other presidents did not call, they would write letters, and some presidents didn't do anything."
"I like, when I can, the combination of a call and also a letter," he said.
Barack Obama, during his term in office, wrote letters and made calls to families of killed Americans, according to former administration officials. He also made frequent visits to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to spend time with wounded troops.
George W. Bush also wrote letters to families of troops killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which began during his tenure.
When pressed about his assertion, Trump backtracked slightly.
New details on deadly ambush in Niger that left 4 soldiers dead
"I don't know if he did," he said of Obama. "I was told that he didn't often, and a lot of presidents don't. They write letters. I do, I do a combination of both."
Trump's remarks Monday marked the first time he's commented at all -- in person or on Twitter -- about the Green Berets and US support personnel who were slain around the October 4 raid. The White House press secretary said previously the administration was still reviewing the circumstances around the mission.
"It is a very difficult thing," Trump said. "It gets to a point where you make four to five of them in one day, it is a very, very tough day."
Officials briefed on the Niger raid have described to CNN a scene of confusion and uncertainty in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Troops were left for nearly an hour before help could arrive to the remote area they were operating.
The White House has said little about Trump's involvement in the proceedings, and he did not travel to Dover Air Force Base for the return of the soldiers' bodies to the United States.
The brother of one of the men killed said on Monday that hearing from Trump was not high on his list of priorities.
"It's been the furthest thing from my mind and the minds of my family," said Will Wright, the brother of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, adding he bore no ill-will toward Trump.
After Trump's remarks on Monday, former Obama officials and other Democrats sharply criticized his remarks about his predecessors, calling them insensitive.
"The commander in chief told a totally irresponsible and disgusting lie in the Rose Garden today, claiming past presidents did not call the families of fallen servicemembers," said a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, Brian Gabriel. "Trump's jaw-dropping, disrespectful lie is not based anywhere in reality and is another symptom of a deep-seated obsession with tearing down President Obama."
Responding to the backlash, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders insisted that Trump wasn't intending to criticize former commanders in chief
"The President wasn't criticizing predecessors, but stating a fact," Sanders said in a statement. "When American heroes make the ultimate sacrifice, Presidents pay their respects. Sometimes they call, sometimes they send a letter, other times they have the opportunity to meet family members in person."
"This President, like his predecessors, has done each of these," Sanders went on. "Individuals claiming former Presidents, such as their bosses, called each family of the fallen, are mistaken."
Trump: Obama didn't call slain troops' families 02:04
Story highlights
- It's been 12 days after the Niger ambush
- It was the deadliest combat incident since he took office
He also claimed, without merit, that his predecessors hadn't written or called the families of slain American troops during their tenures, though the tradition of presidents reaching out after US servicemen are killed in action is long-established.
Trump said he'd written the letters over the weekend, and suggested they'd be mailed early this week. He was speaking 12 days after the ambush -- the deadliest combat incident since he took office.
Trump silent as questions remain over deadly Niger ambush
"I felt very, very badly about that," Trump said during a press availability in the Rose Garden. "I always feel badly. It is the toughest calls I have to make are the calls where this happens, soldiers are killed."
He then claimed that other commanders in chief hadn't reached out to families of Americans killed in action, indicating he'd been told as much by the generals who serve in his administration.
"All I can do is ask my generals," Trump said. "Other presidents did not call, they would write letters, and some presidents didn't do anything."
"I like, when I can, the combination of a call and also a letter," he said.
Barack Obama, during his term in office, wrote letters and made calls to families of killed Americans, according to former administration officials. He also made frequent visits to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to spend time with wounded troops.
George W. Bush also wrote letters to families of troops killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which began during his tenure.
When pressed about his assertion, Trump backtracked slightly.
New details on deadly ambush in Niger that left 4 soldiers dead
"I don't know if he did," he said of Obama. "I was told that he didn't often, and a lot of presidents don't. They write letters. I do, I do a combination of both."
Trump's remarks Monday marked the first time he's commented at all -- in person or on Twitter -- about the Green Berets and US support personnel who were slain around the October 4 raid. The White House press secretary said previously the administration was still reviewing the circumstances around the mission.
"It is a very difficult thing," Trump said. "It gets to a point where you make four to five of them in one day, it is a very, very tough day."
Officials briefed on the Niger raid have described to CNN a scene of confusion and uncertainty in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Troops were left for nearly an hour before help could arrive to the remote area they were operating.
The White House has said little about Trump's involvement in the proceedings, and he did not travel to Dover Air Force Base for the return of the soldiers' bodies to the United States.
The brother of one of the men killed said on Monday that hearing from Trump was not high on his list of priorities.
"It's been the furthest thing from my mind and the minds of my family," said Will Wright, the brother of Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, adding he bore no ill-will toward Trump.
After Trump's remarks on Monday, former Obama officials and other Democrats sharply criticized his remarks about his predecessors, calling them insensitive.
"The commander in chief told a totally irresponsible and disgusting lie in the Rose Garden today, claiming past presidents did not call the families of fallen servicemembers," said a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, Brian Gabriel. "Trump's jaw-dropping, disrespectful lie is not based anywhere in reality and is another symptom of a deep-seated obsession with tearing down President Obama."
Responding to the backlash, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders insisted that Trump wasn't intending to criticize former commanders in chief
"The President wasn't criticizing predecessors, but stating a fact," Sanders said in a statement. "When American heroes make the ultimate sacrifice, Presidents pay their respects. Sometimes they call, sometimes they send a letter, other times they have the opportunity to meet family members in person."
"This President, like his predecessors, has done each of these," Sanders went on. "Individuals claiming former Presidents, such as their bosses, called each family of the fallen, are mistaken."
If I may quote from the thread Dear White People: Be More Like Gregg Popovich:
.
"This man in the Oval Office is a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others. This has of course been a common practice of his, but to do it in this manner — and to lie about how previous presidents responded to the deaths of soldiers — is as low as it gets. We have a pathological liar in the White House, unfit intellectually, emotionally, andpsychologically to hold this office, and the whole world knows it, especially those around him every day. Thepeople who work with this president should beashamed, because they know better than anyone justhow unfit he is, and yet they choose to do nothing about it. This is their shame most of all."
Fallen soldier’s mother: Trump "did disrespect my son"
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wa...epiction-of-his-exchange-with-soldiers-widow/
.
Go Spurs Go! Shoutout to Pop on banging they "moron" in the head once again.
Trump finally calls widow of fallen Army soldier — only to tell her ‘he knew what he signed up for’
U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson and Donald Trump
Don't miss stories. Follow Raw Story!
Donald Trump on Tuesday finally called the families of four U.S. soldiers who were killed during an ambush in Niger earlier this month, only to tell the widow of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson, “he knew what he signed up for.”
“Yes, he said it,” Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) told ABC. “It’s so insensitive. He should have not have said that. He shouldn’t have said it.”
Trump called Tuesday afternoon and spoke to Johnson’s widow, who’s pregnant with her third child to the deceased Army soldier. Johnson is also survived by a 2-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. CBS Chicago producer Ginger Maddox posted this photo of Johnson’s widow and young daughter:
According to Wilson, Trump later added, “But when it happens it hurts anyway.”
The report comes amid growing controversy over Trump’s delayed acknowledgment of the deaths of four servicemen, as well as his deflection of any criticism aimed at said delay. The president on Monday inaccurately claimed his predecessors, including former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush “did not call”the families of fallen soldiers and sometimes “didn’t do anything” to acknowledge those killed in the line of duty.
When Johnson’s body was returned to Dover Air Force Base on Saturday, Trump was golfing.
U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson and Donald Trump
Don't miss stories. Follow Raw Story!
Donald Trump on Tuesday finally called the families of four U.S. soldiers who were killed during an ambush in Niger earlier this month, only to tell the widow of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson, “he knew what he signed up for.”
“Yes, he said it,” Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) told ABC. “It’s so insensitive. He should have not have said that. He shouldn’t have said it.”
Trump called Tuesday afternoon and spoke to Johnson’s widow, who’s pregnant with her third child to the deceased Army soldier. Johnson is also survived by a 2-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. CBS Chicago producer Ginger Maddox posted this photo of Johnson’s widow and young daughter:
According to Wilson, Trump later added, “But when it happens it hurts anyway.”
The report comes amid growing controversy over Trump’s delayed acknowledgment of the deaths of four servicemen, as well as his deflection of any criticism aimed at said delay. The president on Monday inaccurately claimed his predecessors, including former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush “did not call”the families of fallen soldiers and sometimes “didn’t do anything” to acknowledge those killed in the line of duty.
When Johnson’s body was returned to Dover Air Force Base on Saturday, Trump was golfing.
Oh, yes! CNN's Jake Tapper just went down the long list of insulting encounters Trump has had with military families since he stepped into the political spotlight in 2015 and throughly thrashed him!
Trump finally calls widow of fallen Army soldier — only to tell her ‘he knew what he signed up for’
A man who dodged military service because of a Trumped-Up Bone Spur has no authority to critique the families of those who lost loved-ones in the line of duty.
McCain hits Trump where it hurts, attacking ‘bone spur’ deferments in Vietnam
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...deferments-in-vietnam/?utm_term=.a93e3911d64b
.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...deferments-in-vietnam/?utm_term=.a93e3911d64b
.
Sgt. La David Johnson, Soldier Killed in Niger, Was Bound and Executed: Report
Angela Helm
Today 10:55am
U.S. Army Special Operations Command via AP
The body of Sgt. La David Johnson, the Army soldier killed in Niger in the deadliest combat mission during President Trump’s tenure, was found with his arms bound and a vicious head wound, which many view as evidence that he was executed.
The Washington Post reports that 23-year-old Adamou Boubacar, a farmer and trader, saw Johnson’s bodyafter an Islamic State-claimed attack that left Johnson and three other American soldiers dead. Five Nigerien soldiers also died in the attack.
Boubacar said he viewed the body Oct. 6, two days after the attack outside the remote Niger village of Tongo Tongo. The Post reports that Boubacar found Johnson’s remains about a mile away from the ambush site, lying face down, the back of his head had been smashed by something. “His two arms were tied behind his back,” he said.
The village chief of Tongo Tongo, Mounkaila Alassane, confirmed the account in a separate interview with the Post.
“The back of his head was a mess, as if they had hit him with something hard, like a hammer,” said Alassane. “They took his shoes. He was wearing only socks.”
As reported earlier by The Root, Johnson’s body was returned to his family 17 days after he was first reported missing in Niger. The military wouldn’t allow his widow, Myeisha Johnson, to see his body, offering the severity of her husband’s body’s condition as the reason.
His Coffin ‘Could Be Empty for All I Know’: Gold Star Widow Still Has Questions About Her Husband’s…
Myeshia Johnson, in her first televised interview since receiving a controversial condolence call…
Read more
“I want to know why it took them 48 hours to find my husband. Why couldn’t I see my husband? Every time I asked to see my husband, they wouldn’t let me,” Myeshia Johnson told an ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America.
The villagers’ accounts come as the Niger operation is under intense scrutiny in the United States, with lawmakers expressing concern that they have received insufficient or conflicting information about what happened.
As reported by The Root, the Pentagon is currently investigating the circumstance of the attack. In a recent press conference, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph F. Dunford Jr., said that the Pentagon is investigating whether the U.S. Special Forces team altered their mission, whether they had the means to call for help and how Johnson wound up being separated from the group.
The Pentagon Owes the Families of Troops Killed in Niger an Explanation. Here’s What’s Been Offered…
The Pentagon has shared more details about the deadly Oct. 4 ambush in Niger that killed four…
Read more
Johnson’s widow, Myeshia, was attacked on social media after receiving a controversial condolence call from President Donald Trump about the death of her husband. After she noted that the President was callous, saying her husband “knew what he signed up for.” After going public, the President tweeted and basically called her a liar. A Congresswoman, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), who was a friend of the family, was also attacked by Trump and social media cretins.
Read more at the Washington Post.
http://www.theroot.com/sgt-la-david-johnson-soldier-killed-in-niger-was-bou-1820357933
.
Angela Helm
Today 10:55am
U.S. Army Special Operations Command via AP
The body of Sgt. La David Johnson, the Army soldier killed in Niger in the deadliest combat mission during President Trump’s tenure, was found with his arms bound and a vicious head wound, which many view as evidence that he was executed.
The Washington Post reports that 23-year-old Adamou Boubacar, a farmer and trader, saw Johnson’s bodyafter an Islamic State-claimed attack that left Johnson and three other American soldiers dead. Five Nigerien soldiers also died in the attack.
Boubacar said he viewed the body Oct. 6, two days after the attack outside the remote Niger village of Tongo Tongo. The Post reports that Boubacar found Johnson’s remains about a mile away from the ambush site, lying face down, the back of his head had been smashed by something. “His two arms were tied behind his back,” he said.
The village chief of Tongo Tongo, Mounkaila Alassane, confirmed the account in a separate interview with the Post.
“The back of his head was a mess, as if they had hit him with something hard, like a hammer,” said Alassane. “They took his shoes. He was wearing only socks.”
As reported earlier by The Root, Johnson’s body was returned to his family 17 days after he was first reported missing in Niger. The military wouldn’t allow his widow, Myeisha Johnson, to see his body, offering the severity of her husband’s body’s condition as the reason.
His Coffin ‘Could Be Empty for All I Know’: Gold Star Widow Still Has Questions About Her Husband’s…
Myeshia Johnson, in her first televised interview since receiving a controversial condolence call…
Read more
“I want to know why it took them 48 hours to find my husband. Why couldn’t I see my husband? Every time I asked to see my husband, they wouldn’t let me,” Myeshia Johnson told an ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America.
The villagers’ accounts come as the Niger operation is under intense scrutiny in the United States, with lawmakers expressing concern that they have received insufficient or conflicting information about what happened.
As reported by The Root, the Pentagon is currently investigating the circumstance of the attack. In a recent press conference, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph F. Dunford Jr., said that the Pentagon is investigating whether the U.S. Special Forces team altered their mission, whether they had the means to call for help and how Johnson wound up being separated from the group.
The Pentagon Owes the Families of Troops Killed in Niger an Explanation. Here’s What’s Been Offered…
The Pentagon has shared more details about the deadly Oct. 4 ambush in Niger that killed four…
Read more
Johnson’s widow, Myeshia, was attacked on social media after receiving a controversial condolence call from President Donald Trump about the death of her husband. After she noted that the President was callous, saying her husband “knew what he signed up for.” After going public, the President tweeted and basically called her a liar. A Congresswoman, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), who was a friend of the family, was also attacked by Trump and social media cretins.
Read more at the Washington Post.
http://www.theroot.com/sgt-la-david-johnson-soldier-killed-in-niger-was-bou-1820357933
.
Sgt. La David Johnson, Soldier Killed in Niger, Was Bound and Executed: Report
Angela Helm
Today 10:55am
U.S. Army Special Operations Command via AP
The body of Sgt. La David Johnson, the Army soldier killed in Niger in the deadliest combat mission during President Trump’s tenure, was found with his arms bound and a vicious head wound, which many view as evidence that he was executed.
The Washington Post reports that 23-year-old Adamou Boubacar, a farmer and trader, saw Johnson’s bodyafter an Islamic State-claimed attack that left Johnson and three other American soldiers dead. Five Nigerien soldiers also died in the attack.
Boubacar said he viewed the body Oct. 6, two days after the attack outside the remote Niger village of Tongo Tongo. The Post reports that Boubacar found Johnson’s remains about a mile away from the ambush site, lying face down, the back of his head had been smashed by something. “His two arms were tied behind his back,” he said.
The village chief of Tongo Tongo, Mounkaila Alassane, confirmed the account in a separate interview with the Post.
“The back of his head was a mess, as if they had hit him with something hard, like a hammer,” said Alassane. “They took his shoes. He was wearing only socks.”
As reported earlier by The Root, Johnson’s body was returned to his family 17 days after he was first reported missing in Niger. The military wouldn’t allow his widow, Myeisha Johnson, to see his body, offering the severity of her husband’s body’s condition as the reason.
His Coffin ‘Could Be Empty for All I Know’: Gold Star Widow Still Has Questions About Her Husband’s…
Myeshia Johnson, in her first televised interview since receiving a controversial condolence call…
Read more
“I want to know why it took them 48 hours to find my husband. Why couldn’t I see my husband? Every time I asked to see my husband, they wouldn’t let me,” Myeshia Johnson told an ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America.
The villagers’ accounts come as the Niger operation is under intense scrutiny in the United States, with lawmakers expressing concern that they have received insufficient or conflicting information about what happened.
As reported by The Root, the Pentagon is currently investigating the circumstance of the attack. In a recent press conference, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph F. Dunford Jr., said that the Pentagon is investigating whether the U.S. Special Forces team altered their mission, whether they had the means to call for help and how Johnson wound up being separated from the group.
The Pentagon Owes the Families of Troops Killed in Niger an Explanation. Here’s What’s Been Offered…
The Pentagon has shared more details about the deadly Oct. 4 ambush in Niger that killed four…
Read more
Johnson’s widow, Myeshia, was attacked on social media after receiving a controversial condolence call from President Donald Trump about the death of her husband. After she noted that the President was callous, saying her husband “knew what he signed up for.” After going public, the President tweeted and basically called her a liar. A Congresswoman, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), who was a friend of the family, was also attacked by Trump and social media cretins.
Read more at the Washington Post.
http://www.theroot.com/sgt-la-david-johnson-soldier-killed-in-niger-was-bou-1820357933
.
SMH. Has info been released from the other survivors? He never should have been left behind in the first place.
I’ve been struggling with that as well. I don’t recall reading the cause of death. If it was the blow to the back of his head did the survivors not see it occur? - I haven’t seen such a report nor do I recall a report that the survivors saw him being taken hostage.
Something appears amiss here.
What I read was that he was somehow left behind when everyone else was rescued. His beacon was activated, so it reports said they believe he was alive when he was left behind. If what you posted was true, and he was bound, there is no reason for them to bind someone already dead, or even badly wounded if he is unarmed, so he had to be alive. Other than cops in the US who cuff people they've shot, who the hell ties up a dead man?
And none of the rescued saw La David Johnson at the scene or saw anyone take La David Johnson away ?
And the “rescued” and the “rescuers” left the scene without an effort to locate someone thought to be alive ?
And the “rescued” and the “rescuers” left the scene without an effort to locate someone thought to be alive ?
And none of the rescued saw La David Johnson at the scene or saw anyone take La David Johnson away ?
And the “rescued” and the “rescuers” left the scene without an effort to locate someone thought to be alive ?
The rescuers were contractors, not military. When the story first broke, the rumor was they didn't do a head count.
Interestingly,
La David Johnson was one of Twelve U.S. soldiers from the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group . . .
What We Know About the Niger Attack That Left 4 U.S. Soldiers Dead
What We Know About the Niger Attack That Left 4 U.S. Soldiers Dead
.