U.S. News
Republican congressman supports Fox reporter over Trump
- Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) defended Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin after President Donald Trump called for her termination.
- Griffin had reported that former officials confirmed allegations that Trump referred to fallen soldiers as “losers” and “suckers.”
- Kinzinger, who is also an Air Force veteran, said Griffin was “fair and unafraid.”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) showed his support for Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin following President Donald Trump’s call for her termination.
Griffin, a national security correspondent, had reported that former officials confirmed allegations that Trump made several condescending statements regarding fallen soldiers.
The supposed statements were first reported last week by The Atlantic. According to the report, the president allegedly called American soldiers buried at a French cemetery “losers” and “suckers.”
Trump denied the allegations and called for Griffin’s termination following her report.
“All refuted by many witnesses. Jennifer Griffin should be fired for this kind of reporting. Never even called us for comment,” the president tweeted late Friday. “Fox News is gone!”
Kinzinger, who served in the Air Force in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, came to Griffin’s defense.
“She’s one of my favorite reporters. Fair and unafraid,” Kinzinger responded on Twitter.
She’s one of my favorite reporters. Fair and unafraid. https://t.co/dfieE7HqL4
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) September 5, 2020
Kinzinger had previously expressed his concerns regarding The Atlantic’s report.
He stated, “This is either the most heinous hit job on a president or the most heinous comments made by a president.”
However, he added that more sources, preferably not just unnamed sources, are needed to confirm that such statements were indeed made by the president.
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) September 4, 2020
According to The Atlantic report, Trump was reluctant to travel to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery in France in 2018.
Griffin stated that a former Trump administration official confirmed that Trump “was not in a good mood” during the trip and “questioned why he had to go to two cemeteries.”
The Atlantic reported that Trump had referred to the U.S. service members buried in the cemetery during World War I “losers.”
Griffin added that sources confirmed that the president had called the Vietnam War “stupid” and anyone who fought in it a “sucker.”
Griffin’s report added that Trump had been vocal against lowering the flags to half-staff to mourn the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a fierce critic of Trump, in 2018.
Other sources claimed that the president had called the 1,800 fallen Marines in the battle of Belleau Wood “suckers” for getting killed.
The president called the report “a totally fake story, and that was confirmed by many people that were actually there.”
“It was a terrible thing that somebody could say the kind of things — especially to me because I have done more for the military than almost anybody else,” he continued.
Source: The Hill
