The widow of Sgt. La David Johnson says she wasn’t allowed to see her husband’s body, and confirms Trump forgot her husband’s name during the call.
Monday, the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson demanded answers about her husband’s death in Niger, Africa, while refuting President Trump’s claims about his controversial condolence call to her. In her first interview since her husband’s death, Myeshia Johnson told ABC News’ “Good Morning America”:
“I don’t know how he got killed, where he got killed or anything. They never told me and that’s what I’ve been trying to find out since.”
On October 4th, La David Johnson was one of four Army soldiers killed in an attack outside Tongo Tongo, Niger. His body wasn’t discovered for almost 48 hours, which has left many disturbed and with many questions. Johnson said she wasn’t allowed to see her husband’s body before his funeral Saturday saying:
“I don’t know what’s in that box. It could be empty for all I know. I haven’t seen him since he came home. They won’t show me a finger, a hand,” she said. “I know my husband’s body from head to toe. They won’t show me anything.”
But at the center of the controversy, the condolence call she received from President Trump, causing a White House firestorm over the last week.
Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson of Florida says she heard part of the call on speakerphone, where Trump told the pregnant Johnson her husband “knew what he signed up for.”
Trump has since denied slamming Wilson’s account as “fabricated” and calling the lawmaker “whacky.” But Johnson confirms Wilson’s series of events that went down when she was en route to receive her husband’s body at Dover Air Base. Johnson saying:
“Whatever Ms. Wilson said was not fabricated What she said was 100% correct.”
She said Trump called the cellphone of a master sergeant in the car, and Johnson asked him to put the call on speaker so her aunt and uncle, who were also in the car, could listen in on the call.
Johnson said she cried for several reasons, one being Trump’s remark that Johnson “knew what he signed up for.” But she added what’s worse was Trump forgot the sergeant’s name and only remembered it because of a report in front of him saying:
“It made me cry. I was very angry at the tone of his voice, and how he said it. I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband’s name. And that’s what made me upset and cry even more because my husband was an awesome soldier.”
Trump disputed the widow’s account about an hour after the interview aired tweeting:
“I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation!”
Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain condemned the dispute over La David Johnson’s death saying in an appearance on “The View”:
“We should not be fighting about a brave American who lost his life fighting for his country… The Armed Services Committee isn’t getting enough information about what happened in Niger… And we deserve it because we represent their families too.”
Watch the widows interview on Good Morning America:
