'He definitely does not respect black women': Rep. Frederica Wilson says John Kelly hasn't apologized for their 2017 feud
Democratic Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson said John Kelly has yet to apologize for making false claims about her in 2017, saying he "does not respect women, and he definitely does not respect black women, and I don't think he respects black people."
In an interview with CNN's Don Lemon, Rep. Wilson said she has received multiple death threats and "couldn't even go anywhere without armed security," after the outgoing White House chief of staff falsely claimed that Wilson took credit for securing $20 million in funding for a new FBI office in Miami. The incident took place during a White House briefing on October 2017.
Wilson, who became nationally known as an avid Trump critic, said Kelly "made up the whole story to side with the president to make it look like I was some sort of a clown or someone who was, who just lies all the time."
"I think that's why he never apologized," she added.
Kelly, Wilson said, had no reason to slander her name. According to CNN, Kelly's false claims came after Wilson criticized the president for his handling of a condolence call with the widow of the late Army Sgt. La David Johnson. Wilson, who was on the call, said Trump told Johnson's widow: "He knew what he signed up for, but when it happens, it hurts anyway."
"Yeah, he said that," Wilson told a Miami news station after the incident. "So insensitive. He should not have said that - he shouldn't have said it."
Wilson told CNN that Kelly and Trump came after her "for no reason" after she spoke up about the president's behavior.
"I was standing up for my hero, my Sergeant La David Johnson and his family," Wilson she said. Wilson ended the interview by saying she doesn't think "Mr. Kelly did a good job.""I want to say good riddance to him," she said. "Good bye."