Gold Star Families Getting Rushed Condolence Letters

The following article by John M. Donnelley was posted on the Roll Call website October 24, 2017:

The White House tried to quickly make the president’s overstatement accurate

Myeshia Johnson kisses the casket of her husband, U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson, during his burial service in Hollywood, Florida, on Saturday. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A substantial number of families who have lost military servicemembers during the Trump presidency had not been contacted as of this weekend by President Donald Trump, despite his claim to the contrary several days earlier, according to news accounts.

And some of the families that the White House did contact were reached only in recent days by apparently rushed condolence letters that were sent in some cases months after the families lost their loved ones, the reports said.

Roll Call disclosed Friday that the White House had asked the Pentagon on Oct. 17, through emails, to provide “ASAP” a list of those killed in the line of duty and their families’ contact information. The email exchanges came just hours after the president had said in a radio interview that he had already contacted virtually all those families. Continue reading “Gold Star Families Getting Rushed Condolence Letters”