10 Witnesses Go On Record: Atlantic 'Troops' Report is an Anti-Trump Hoax
Multiple officials confirm anonymously-sourced story is a lie
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Ten witnesses have now come forward to confirm, on the record, that The Atlantic's recent anonymously-sourced report, claiming the president blasted dead soldiers, is nothing more than an anti-Trump hoax.
Four more witnesses have now stepped up to dispute the story, claiming President Donald Trump called fallen troops “losers” and “suckers,” bringing the total to 10.
Former acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney slammed The Atlantic fro fabricating the report.
“As you all can probably imagine, I have seen more than my share of outrageous (and false) attacks on the President over the last few years," Mulvaney explained.
"But this whole injured soldiers thing really, really pushes the envelope,” he added.
“So, just to be clear: These claims are simply outrageous."
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"I never heard the President disparage our war dead or wounded," Mulvaney continued.
"In fact, the exact opposite is true.
"I was with him at the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy.
"As we flew over the beaches by helicopter he was outwardly in awe of the accomplishments of the Allied Forces, and the sacrifices they paid.”
Johnny DeStefano, the former counselor to the president, also disputed the report, saying: “I was on this trip. The Atlantic bit is not true. Period.”
I was on this trip. The Atlantic bit is not true. Period. https://t.co/gf88OoRYla
— Johnny DeStefano (@johnnydestefano) September 4, 2020
Derek Lyons, staff secretary and counselor to the president, and Dan Walsh, former White House deputy chief of staff, have also both denied the report.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Friday that Lyons said in a statement:
I was with the president the morning after the scheduled visit.
He was extremely disappointed that arrangements could not be made to get him to the site and that the trip had been cancelled.
I have worked with the president for his entire administration.
One of my responsibilities is working with him on the many letters he signs to the families of our nation’s fallen heroes.
In all my time at the White House, I have never heard him utter a disparaging remark of any kind about our troops.
In my view, he holds the brave men and women of our armed forces in the highest regard.
McEnany then read Walsh’s statement: “I can attest it to the fact that there was a bad weather called in France and that the helicopters were unable to safely make the flight.
"Overall, the president’s support and respect for our American troops past and present is unquestionable.”
All of this comes after former national security adviser John Bolton—who is a fierce Trump opponent—went on the record and disputed The Atlantic’s report.
"I didn’t hear either of those comments or anything even resembling them,” Bolton told Fox News.
"I was there at the point in time that morning when it was decided that he would not go Aisne-Marne cemetery.
"He decided not to do it because of John Kelly’s recommendation.
"It was entirely a weather-related decision, and I thought the proper thing to do.
"I never heard he made that kind of comment about another country’s forces either, no.”
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Fox News correspondent John Roberts further added: “[John Bolton] told me today that if [Donald Trump] had said he didn’t want to visit Aisne-Marne because the interred heroes were 'losers' and 'suckers,' he would have written an entire chapter about it in his book #TheRoomWhereItHappened.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation also reported late this week that the owner of The Atlantic is a Biden megadonor who is in frequent contact with the person who authored the report.
