Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said she hopes that Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) “feels vindicated & relieved” after a video of a speech she made last year was released.
“I hope that the Honorable @RepWilson feels vindicated & relieved by the release of the videotape & her comments at the FBI building,” Waters tweeted Saturday.
President Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly had attacked Wilson for her remarks in front of an FBI building in Miami, saying Wilson had claimed credit for getting funding for the building.
“A congresswoman stood up, and in a long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there in 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 Obama, and on that phone call, he gave the money, the $20 million, to build the building, and she sat down,” Kelly said. {mosads}
Wilson fired back at Kelly’s comments, calling his account “crazy” and inaccurate. Video of the speech appeared to back up Wilson’s version of the story. Wilson had pushed a bill that named the building and she reportedly took credit for the name, but not the building’s funding.
Waters earlier Saturday had called for Kelly to apologize for Wilson for his comments.
“Gen. Kelly has been tainted by Trump lying in the face of facts. Hasn’t he seen the same video of Rep. Wilson that everyone else has seen?” she tweeted.
The White House stood by Kelly’s criticism of Wilson even after the video of the speech emerged.
“Gen. Kelly said he was ‘stunned’ that Rep. Wilson made comments at a building dedication honoring slain FBI agents about her own actions in Congress, including lobbying former President Obama on legislation,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
“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.”
Kelly had criticized Wilson after Wilson shared an account of a phone call between Trump and the widow of a fallen soldier. Trump has denied Wilson’s story, but the mother of the fallen soldier also confirmed the account.