Not a single GOP representative is rushing to defend Myeshia Johnson

Sgt. La David T. Johnson was a special forces sergeant, highly regarded by his peers, on a mission in Niger with no backup, whose body was left behind for 48 hours after the initial rescue. In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, his widow, Myeshia Johnson, said she was hurt by Trump’s apparent inability to remember her late husband’s name when he called her earlier this month.

“The only way he remembered my husband’s name is because he had my husband’s report in front of him and that’s when he actually said ‘La David.’” she said. “I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband’s name. And that’s what hurt me the most. If my husband is out here fighting for our country, and he risked his life for our country, why can’t you remember his name?”

In response, Trump effectively accused a Gold Star widow of lying. In a tweet this morning, Trump said that he “spoke [La David’s] name from beginning, without hesitation!” Earlier this week, Trump said it was “totally fabricated” that he’d told Ms. Johnson that her husband “knew what he signed up for,” a statement that was confirmed by both Myeshia Johnson and her mother.

Link to tweet

But as Trump attacked a grieving military widow, Congressional Republicans were completely silent online. Paul Ryan instead chose to tweet about tax reform, while Representative Steven Scalise re-tweeted condolences on the anniversary of the U.S. Marine barracks bombing in Beirut — a tragedy which happened 34 years ago. Lindsay Graham did re-tweet an quote from an interview with Chuck Todd, where he simply explained that La David Johnson and his fellow soldiers were in Niger “to defend America”.

https://thinkprogress.org/trump-attacked-a-gold-star-widow-and-house-and-senate-republicans-stayed-completely-silent-cf84ada5eb90/