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Groton Daily Independent
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 102 ~ 43 of 63
He later insisted that he “didn’t say what that congresswoman said, didn’t say it at all. She knows it.”
In private, he bitterly complained to associates about the are-up, believing the press was eager to paint his response in a negative light, according to two people who recently spoke to him but were not authorized to comment publicly about private conversations. His anger was echoed from the White House brie ng room podium by Sanders, who said she was “appalled” by what she described as Wilson’s efforts to politicize the tragedy.
“Just because the president said ‘your guy’ doesn’t mean he doesn’t know his name,” said Sanders. She added that while no recordings of the conversation existed, several senior of cials, including Kelly, witnessed the call and described Trump’s manner as “respectful” and “very sympathetic.”
Wilson did not back down from her account.
Like presidents before him, Trump has made personal contact with some families of the fallen but not all. What’s different is that Trump, alone among them, has suggested he’s done a better job of honoring the war dead and their families. He said Tuesday: “I think I’ve called every family of someone who’s died” while suggesting past presidents had not.
Trump’s delay in publicly discussing the lives lost in Niger does not appear to be unusual, judging from past examples, but his comments are. He went so far Tuesday as to cite the death of Kelly’s son to ques- tion whether Obama had properly honored the war dead.
Kelly was a Marine general under Obama when his Marine son Robert died in 2010. “You could ask General Kelly, did he get a call from Obama?” Trump said on Fox News radio.
Sanders said Obama did not call Kelly but it was not clear if some other form of contact was made. She added that Kelly was “disgusted” the condolence calls had been politicized but said she was not certain if the chief of staff knew Trump was going to talk about his son publicly.
Two White House of cials said Kelly was also frustrated that the controversy had distracted from a sig- ni cant military win over the Islamic State in Raqqa, Syria.
Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who led the Pentagon for a portion of the time Kelly served as commander of U.S. Southern Command, was bitterly critical of Trump’s comments.
“If there is one sacred ground in politics it should be the ultimate sacri ces made by our military,” Hagel wrote in an email to the AP. “To use General Kelly and his family in this disgusting political way is sickening and beneath every shred of decency of presidential leadership. Beyond the dignity of the of ce.”
Johnson was one of four soldiers killed in an ambush by dozens of Islamic extremists during a joint patrol by American and Niger forces, U.S. military of cials say.
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Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writers Curt Anderson and Josh Replogle in Miami and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.
Cubs avoid sweep, top Dodgers 3-2 to cut NLCS de cit to 3-1 By ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — Javier Baez sensed he was ready to bust out of his slump and give the Chicago Cubs the lift they needed.
As breakthroughs go, this was a big one. Just in time to keep the season going for the defending champs.
Baez snapped an 0-for-20 skid with two home runs, Wade Davis hung on for a six-out save and Cubs avoided a sweep, holding off the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 Wednesday night in Game 4 of the NL Cham- pionship Series.
“We have to be much more offensive,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s got to start happening tomorrow. We’re going to do this. Going to pull this off, we have to become more offensive tomorrow.”
Baez nally got going with a pair of solo drives .
Jake Arrieta pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning to help the Cubs close their de cit to 3-1. Mad- don got ejected for the second time in this series in the eighth, and a packed Wrigley Field crowd watched Davis get Cody Bellinger to ground into a game-ending double play.