The United States Ambassador to France and a former top aide to ex-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly both denied that they had heard President Donald Trump refer to deceased American war dead as “losers” during a 2018 France trip, putting a fake news story reported by the Atlantic that only cited supposed anonymous sources to bed.
Former Kelly aide Zach Fuentes and US Ambassador both denied that they heard Trump say any such thing in remarks on the story on Monday.
“You can put me on record denying that I spoke with The Atlantic,” Fuentes told Breitbart News on Monday. “I don’t know who the sources are. I did not hear POTUS call anyone losers when I told him about the weather. Honestly, do you think General Kelly would have stood by and let ANYONE call fallen Marines losers?”
Ambassador Jamie McCourt, who was on hand for President Trump’s commemoration of World War I’s hundredth anniversary in France, also denied that she heard any such claim from the President.
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“Needless to say, I never spoke to the Atlantic, and I can’t imagine who would,” McCourt told Breitbart News. “In my presence, POTUS has NEVER denigrated any member of the U.S. military or anyone in service to our country. And he certainly did not that day, either. Let me add, he was devastated to not be able to go to the cemetery at Belleau Wood. In fact, the next day, he attended and spoke at the ceremony in Suresnes in the pouring rain.”
Corporate news outlets have reported the outlandish and sensational Trump “losers” story, which claims that the President flagrantly insulted World War I war dead buried in France, as if it is verified fact. An unclear number of totally anonymous supposed government officials have reportedly vouched to it to the Atlantic and Fox News, but not one individual has publicly attested to its veracity.
The two denials of government officials on Monday make for a total of 15 public denials- all from verified Trump administration employees, easily outweighing a shadowy allegation from someone who is too afraid to speak publicly about the sensational claim.
President Trump talks about top John Kelly aide Zach Fuentes coming out against the Atlantic’s reporting.
“I do appreciate Zach coming out. He’s now the 15th person to deny it.” pic.twitter.com/u1Kd35MD1h
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) September 7, 2020
The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg reported a fake news story. He should be ashamed about his lack of journalistic integrity, although his long track record of lies, including propagandizing for the Iraq War, make it seem likely he lacks the capacity to.
Not only does @JeffreyGoldberg have low editorial standards, he's long been a propagandist for the Military Industrial Complex.
He pushed their lies to get us into the Iraq War & is pushing their easily debunked lies about Trump, b/c unlike Biden, Trump won't support their wars. pic.twitter.com/X0pcJPLdYP
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) September 4, 2020