Soldier's widow: Rep. Wilson's account of Trump phone call 'not fabricated'

Myeshia Johnson says account was '100 percent correct'

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The widow of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson said U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson's recollection of the widow's conversation with President Trump was "100 percent correct."

Myeshia Johnson spoke to Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos on Monday morning about the controversy after her husband's death in Niger.

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Of the phone call with the president, Johnson defended Wilson's account, saying it was true. Wilson, D-Florida, and the Johnson family have known each other for decades.

"Whatever Ms. Wilson said was not fabricated. What she said was 100 percent correct," Johnson said.

Johnson described the phone call, saying she was upset and crying after the president told her "he knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyways." She said his tone of voice made her cry and the fact that he couldn't remember her husband's name. She said he seemed to stumble trying to remember his name.

Johnson said she doesn't know what happened to her husband or why he wasn't found until 48 hours after his death. Johnson also said she wasn't allowed to see his body and doesn't know what was inside her husband's casket which was buried on Saturday.

"It could be empty for all I know," Johnson said.

When asked if she had something to say to President Trump she said, "I don't have [anything] to say to him."

La David Johnson, formerly known by thousands on social media as "Wheelie King 305" for his love of cycling on one wheel, was buried at the Hollywood Memorial Gardens cemetery.

Johnson had completed one deployment and was beginning another with the U.S. team of "Bush Hogs" from the 3rd Special Forces Group when he died. He and his team were ambushed Oct. 4 in the Republic of the Niger, a landlocked country in Western Africa, near the border with Mali.

The ambush also killed Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright.

Nigerien troops recovered Johnson's body Oct. 6 for a return of remains ceremony Oct. 7 at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. President Donald Trump didn't attend the ceremony. He was playing golf with Sen. Lindsey Graham. 

Johnson's family, the Pentagon and the White House are waiting for the results of an ongoing investigation. La David Johnson was serving with Green Berets when a group of Islamic militants ambushed them Oct. 4 in an area in Africa where ISIS affiliates like Boko Haram operate raising funds through a black market of gold from illegal mines. 

Gen. John Kelly, Trump's chief of staff, said President Trump did the best he could during the phone call and his words were twisted.  Wilson, who was also with the family when Trump called, disagreed. She was enraged and told reporters nationwide Trump was insensitive.

Kelly said Wilson was behaving like an "empty barrel" making noise. Wilson defended herself. The White House defended Kelly. The political conflict snowballed and on the day of Johnson's funeral that was the focus of the president's tweets.


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