'This has become totally personal': Rep. Frederica Wilson unleashes on John Kelly's 'crazy' story

David ChoiOct 20, 2017, 08:51 IST

Rep. Frederica Wilson has made a name for herself as a spirited opponent of Donald TrumpKevin Wolf/AP

Rep. Frederica Wilson, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump's response following the deaths of four US troops in Niger, disputed White House chief of staff John Kelly's remarks during his press conference.
Kelly gave a critical account of a memory he had of Wilson, which Wilson claims was "crazy."

The divide between the White House and Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida, the congresswoman who represents the district of a fallen US soldier killed in Niger, was deepened when Wilson accused Kelly of falsifying her side of the story, according to a Miami Herald report.

On Thursday, Kelly headlined the White House's press conference and addressed the recent criticisms Wilson gave on President Donald Trump's controversial response following the deaths of 4 US soldiers in Niger. In his speech, Kelly gave his account of a memory he had of Wilson, during a dedication ceremony for a new FBI building named in honor of two FBI agents who were killed.

President Donald Trump and some of his friends are growing frustrated by the restrictions and discipline imposed by the new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, prompting some Trump loyalists even nicknaming him &quotthe church lady," The Washington Post reported Thursday. Kelly is viewed by these Trump loyalists as &quotstrict and morally superior," according to the Post report, and they believe he is likely to clash with the president eventually. "[Trump is] having a very hard time," one Trump friend told The Post. &quotHe doesn't like the way the media's handling him. He doesn't like how Kelly's handling him. He's turning on people that are very close to him." Kelly was appointed Chief of Staff in July, following a chaotic series of staff departures that included the ousting of Kelly's predecessor Reince Priebus, the resignation of press secretary Sean Spicer, and the firing of communications director Anthony Scaramucci. Kelly's move from Homeland Security Secretary to White House Chief of Staff was part of a push to enact order in the West Wing, where Trump was accustomed to accepting spontaneous, freewheeling meetings and phone calls. With Kelly in the White House, those phone calls are routed through Kelly first, and Trump friends must make official appointments in order to visit the Oval Office. Yet Trump has privately begun flouting these rules, according to The Post, frequently calling advisers and confidants - including former chief strategist Steve Bannon, from his personal phone. &quotDonald Trump resists being handled," Roger Stone, a friend and former adviser of Trump, told The Post. &quotNobody tells him who to see, who to listen to, what to read, what he can say … Keeping him in the dark and feeding him shit is not going to work. Donald Trump is a free spirit." Yet in public, Trump has appeared supportive of Kelly and frequently praises him. On Friday morning, Trump said on Twitter that Kelly was &quotdoing a great job as Chief of Staff." &quotI could not be happier or more impressed - and this Administration continues to … get things done at a record clip. Many big decisions to be made over the coming days and weeks. AMERICA FIRST!" he tweeted.Associated Press/Carolyn Kaster

"A congresswoman stood up, and in a 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," Kelly alleged. "And how she took care of her constituents because she got the money, and she just called up President Obama, and on that phone call, he gave the money, the $20 million, to build the building, and she sat down."

Wilson claimed that Kelly's account was false and that Washington had already secured the funds before she was elected: "That is crazy that I got [the money] and Mr. Obama just gave it to me," Wilson said in The Herald. "That building was funded long before I got to Congress, I didn't say that. I have staff, people who write the speeches. You can't say that."

"He shouldn't be able to just say that, that is terrible," Wilson continued. "This has become totally personal."

Contrary to Kelly's $20 million figure, the FBI building cost $194 million according to a previous report. Despite the discrepancy, a White House spokesman issued a statement on Thursday evening, saying it "stands by Gen. Kelly's account of the event," The Herald reported.

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'This has become totally personal': Rep. Frederica Wilson unleashes on John Kelly's 'crazy' story

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