Former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, John Kelly, delivered a scathing critique of his ex-boss, confirming the veracity of Trump’s disparaging remarks about veterans and wounded service members.
Speaking to CNN in an exclusive statement, Kelly stated, “What can I add that has not already been said? A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘It doesn’t look good for me.’”
He continued, “A person who demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family ― for all Gold Star families ― on TV during the 2016 campaign and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.”
Kelly, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general and former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, served as Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff. His remarks substantiate numerous reports about Trump’s comments regarding service members, veterans, and prisoners of war, both inside and outside the White House. During his campaign, Trump drew fierce criticism for his disparaging remarks about the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a Vietnam War prisoner of war, stating that he preferred “people that weren’t captured.”
Kelly’s statement also lends support to claims made in a profile in The Atlantic last month by Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The article included an anecdote in which Trump allegedly expressed disdain for a wounded Army captain singing “God Bless America” at an event, stating, “Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded.”
In his CNN interview, Kelly further remarked:
“A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women. A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about.
“A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason – in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.”
Kelly concluded his statement by saying, “There is nothing more that can be said. God help us.”
The Trump campaign dismissed Kelly’s comments in a statement to Axios, saying, “the general had ‘totally clowned himself with these debunked stories he’s made up because he didn’t serve his President well while working as Chief of Staff.'”
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