Orlando Sentinel

Speech video shows Kelly got it wrong

- By Anthony Man and Linda Trischitta Staff Writers

The truthfulne­ss of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly came under question Friday after a Sun Sentinel video proved he misreprese­nted remarks by Democratic congresswo­man Frederica Wilson at the opening of a new FBI building in Miramar.

Kelly had delivered a broadside against Wilson on Thursday while defending the way President Donald Trump spoke with a constituen­t of hers, a widow whose husband was one of four soldiers killed in an ambush this month in Niger.

Kelly claimed that Wilson, a Democrat who has represente­d parts of Miami-Dade and South Broward since 2011, gave a speech taking credit for the FBI building at its opening in 2015.

He was present as head of the U.S. Southern Command at the time.

Wilson detracted from the event, he said, when she “stood up, and in the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there and all of that and talked about how she was instrument­al in getting the funding for that building, and how she took care of her constituen­ts because she got the money, and she just called up President [Barack] Obama, and on that phone call he gave the money — the $20 million — to build the building. And she sat down, and we were stunned. Stunned that she had done it. Even for someone that is that empty a barrel, we were stunned.”

Exclusive video from the South Florida Sun Sentinel of the event shows Kelly’s account was not true.

What Wilson did at the dedication was take credit for the fast-track approval of legislatio­n — sought by the FBI — to name the building for FBI agents Benjamin P. Grogan and Jerry L. Dove, who were killed in a 1986 gunfight with two people who had robbed armored trucks and banks and murdered several people.

When the request to get the naming legislatio­n came in — just four weeks before the ceremony — Wilson said she took it as a challenge. “I said, ‘I’m a school principal.’ And I said, ‘Excuse my French. Oh hell no. We’re going to get this done,’ ” she recalled. “Immediatel­y I went into attack mode,” she said at the 2015 ceremony.

She also lavished praise on Republican colleagues, including then-House Speaker John Boehner.

On Friday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders maintained the administra­tion’s criticism of Wilson’s remarks at the dedication — even after the Sun Sentinel posted video showing Kelly’s account was inaccurate. Sanders repeated Kelly’s assertion that he was “stunned” that Wilson talked about what she had done in Congress. “As Gen. Kelly pointed out, if you’re able to make a sacred act like honoring American heroes about yourself, you’re an empty barrel,” Sanders said in a statement.

More than half of Wilson’s remarks, which last 9 minutes and 15 seconds, were devoted to praising the fallen FBI agents and others who work in law enforcemen­t. “Stand up. We are proud of you. We are proud of their courage.” She spent less than three minutes talking about the path of the naming legislatio­n and about a minute and a half introducin­g dignitarie­s at the event. The recording started after Wilson started talking, as she is introducin­g other attendees.

On Trump’s first full day of office, he visited CIA headquarte­rs and gave a long, campaign-style speech during which he complained about news coverage and bragged about the size of the crowd at his inaugurati­on — in front of the wall of stars representi­ng the 117 CIA agents killed in the line of duty. Sanders said Friday that Wilson’s remarks at the FBI building dedication were somehow different from Trump’s remarks at the CIA headquarte­rs. “Those are not even apples to apples, so that’s not a fair comparison.”

Wilson said Friday that she was pleased there is video showing Kelly’s accusation against her isn’t true. “I did not want to be accused of something I didn’t do or something I didn’t say,” she said, adding that she wasn’t worried about it because she knew the truth: that Kelly was wrong.

Appearing on CNN, she used the term “lie” to describe what Kelly said; she didn’t use that word speaking to the Sun Sentinel.

“When you know you’re right, when you know you’re right, you don’t worry about people trying to disparage your character. You know you’re right,” she said in a telephone interview. “So all of that [Kelly’s statement] was just make believe. And he was trying to besmirch my character. And I do not appreciate that. And it needs to stop. I’m not trying to do anything to harm him. Why does he keep trying to harm me and malign my character?”

She said Kelly’s tale was made even more unusual because of one of the details he included — that she’d claimed credit for securing $20 million to build the structure. She said it would have been impossible to build a structure like the new regional FBI headquarte­rs for $20 million. And she was in the Florida Senate when the $194 million building was approved.

She said it was “unconscion­able” for Kelly to claim she stood up and claimed credit.

Wilson said she was honored to play the role she did, at the request of then FBI Director James Comey, who was also at the dedication. “I was really honored to be asked by Mr. Comey to name it, and I was blessed by the Republican majority in the House and Senate and by God to name that building so quickly,” she said Friday.

She said she doesn’t know why Kelly told the story he did about her. “I guess he thinks that will cause people to believe that I’m a liar and he’s telling the truth. But what he’s saying doesn’t make any sense. And I’m done. I’m done. I’m finished talking about it,” she said.

 ?? COURTESY OF SAM HARRIS/GSA ?? From left, a 2015 photo shows then-FBI Director James Comey, U.S. Representa­tive Frederica Wilson, GSA Acting Administra­tor Denise Turner Roth, U.S. Representa­tive Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam and FBI Miami Special Agent George...
COURTESY OF SAM HARRIS/GSA From left, a 2015 photo shows then-FBI Director James Comey, U.S. Representa­tive Frederica Wilson, GSA Acting Administra­tor Denise Turner Roth, U.S. Representa­tive Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam and FBI Miami Special Agent George...

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