Monday on MSNBC’s “The Beat,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) discussed White House chief of staff John Kelly’s comments about Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) over the disputed phone call President Donald Trump made to Sgt. La David Johnson’s widow.
Waters said President Donald Trump had “this tendency to talk down to people of color, to treat them with disrespect.”
Waters said, “Well, General Kelly can take the responsibility for admitting that he was wrong, that he had lied on the congresswoman.”
She continued, “President Trump did it again. He has the most distorted leadership of any president I’ve ever known or heard about. Here he had the opportunity to make the condolence call, do it properly, recognize this family and their grieving and also to know the name of the soldier who had been killed.He did not know the name. He did not handle it well.”
“General Kelly had had a good career and had his career basically undermined by the president of the United States because he’s trying to protect and stand up for the president when the president did not deserve to be stood up for. He’s damaged himself. His credibility is at question. And so he needs to call the congresswoman and apologize. He lied on the congresswoman. He said he was there; he said he heard her, and then, when the video clip was played that basically demonstrated exactly what she said and how she said it, it was obvious that he had lied. So he needs to apologize.”
She continued, “If the president will apologize to Mrs. Johnson and if General Kelly will apologize to the congresswoman, I think we can put this behind us. Not going to go away. You’re absolutely correct. All of the women of the Congressional Black Caucus have come together, and we’re demanding an apology. We’re sick and tired of women being undermined, dismissed, and black women, in particular, being called names. She was called wacky. Fredericka Wilson, an honorable member of the House of Representatives that we all respect.”
Referring to a tweet from Trump, she added, “He seems to have this tendency to talk down to people of color, to treat them with disrespect. And I think this adds to it. I think the fact that first of all, he called her wacky; secondly, that he didn’t back down, that he simply talked about her in a way that was not respectful. I think that yes, I think it adds to the suspicion of him and the way that he thinks about minorities and black people in particular.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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