- Rep. Frederica Wilson called President Donald Trump "a sick man" after he said that the congresswoman "totally fabricated" comments he made to the widow of a US soldier killed earlier this month.
- Wilson charged that Trump told the widow, Myeshia Johnson, that her husband "must have known what he signed up for" when he joined the US military.
Rep. Frederica Wilson responded to President Donald Trump's claim that she "totally fabricated" comments that he made to the widow of a slain soldier, calling the president "a sick man."
"This man is a sick man," Wilson told CNN Wednesday morning. "He's cold-hearted and he feels no pity or sympathy for anyone."
On Tuesday, Wilson said that when Trump spoke to Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, the president said the Army sergeant "must have known what he signed up for."
Wilson, who was riding in a limousine with Myeshia when the president called her, heard parts of the call on speakerphone. Sgt. Johnson was one of the four US Army Special Forces troops killed in action during a mission in Niger earlier this month.
On Wednesday morning, Trump accused Wilson of lying about what he said, adding that he has "proof" to support his denial.
"Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!"Trump wrote.
Wilson responded to Trump's accusation during an appearance on CNN's "New Day" on Wednesday morning, doubling down on her accusation.
"When she actually hung up the phone, she looked at me and said, 'He didn't even know his name,'" Wilson said of Myeshia. "Now that's the worst part."
Wilson said she asked to speak with the president after the call with Myeshia because she was "livid" after she heard Trump's comments.
"This is a young, young woman, who has two children, who is six months pregnant with a third child. She has just lost her husband,"Wilson told CNN in an interview on Tuesday night. "She was just told that he cannot have an open-casket funeral, which gives her all kinds of nightmares — how his body must look, how his face must look — and this is what the president of the United States says to her?"
The president over the past 24 hours has touted his own empathy for Gold Star families, but observers have criticized him for congratulating himself for continuing the presidential tradition of consoling the families of US servicemembers killed in action.
Earlier this week, Trump falsely accused President Barack Obama of rarely calling the families of slain soldiers, claiming that his predecessor neglected to contact Gen. John Kelly, Trump's chief of staff, after his son was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.
SEE ALSO: Trump reportedly tells the widow of a US soldier killed in action 'he knew what he signed up for'