Congresswoman Frederica Wilson was also in the car. She says she heard the president tell the widow that her husband knew what he was signing up for but it still hurts. For him to say that this young man stayed in school, did all the right things, went into the service, became a sergeant so quickly, that he signed up for his own death . That is so insensitive. How did she hear it . What was her response . She was crying. She broke down. And she said, he didnt even know his name. President trump strongly disputes that claim tweeting democratic congresswoman totally fabricated what i said to the wife ive soldier who died in action and i have proof. Sad. We did hear from a Family Member who was also in the car during the call and she tells cnn that congresswoman wilsons recollection is very accurate. Our senior White House Correspondent jeff zell nil is joining from us the white house. We saw the president s tweet. Since then, he was asked another question and he responded. Tell our viewe
Private religious thoughts, but to exercise their religious freedom. Thats what the constitution says. You should have a right to congress should make no law to establish a religion nor prohibit the free exercise there of. You have raised that in the past and it was a big part of what we did, the legislation you and Congress Passed was a big part of what we were able to do. Thank you. I would like to make a couple of comments first on the Supreme Courts recent decision to approve s ert. We have different views on the case and the topic is controversial and why i introduced the privacy act to create a clear framework for determining when Law Enforcement can Access Communications regardless of where theyre stored. No matter which way the court rules this is a policy question that Congress Needs to decide. Congress, not the court, should be the body that determines our data privacy laws. But im grateful for the department for its work thus far with me on the bill and i hope youll continue
Good evening. Im Chris Matthews in washington. With precious few legislative days this year and a white house agenda crammed with tax cuts, health care, and other priorities, the headlines today were all about President Trumps handling of a phone call with the family of a fallen soldier. One reason is because President Trump decided to engage in this fight, showing once again hes unwilling to let any perceived slight go, no matter how sensitive the topic. It began with this statement by that florida congresswoman, who was with the family of sergeant la david johnson, when the president called. Johnson was one of four soldiers killed in niger earlier this month. Heres what the congresswoman said the president said. He was almost like joking. He said, well, i guess you knew he sign something to the fact that, he knew what he was getting into when he signed up, but i guess it hurts anyway. You know, just matteroffactly, that this is what happens. She was in tears. She was in tears. And sh
Do, theres never going to be enough that a president can do for the families of those that are killed in action. The point the president was making is that theres a different process. Sometimes they call, sometimes they write letters, sometimes they engage directly. The comments were certainly, i think, taken very far out of context by the media, and if theres any frustration, i think thats where it should be focused. Sarah. Let me ask you about something Steve Mnuchin said since you talk about the stock market a lot and the president does as well. He said, and i quote here, theres no question in my mind that if we dont get it done, meaning tax reform, that youre going to see reversal of these gains. How concerned is the president at this point of that possibility . Were confident that were going to get tax cuts done and so thats what were focused on. Were going to continue pushing forward. On the health care bill. Im going to take one question today. The president tweeted about the ca
Stark letter warning that he better not dodge their questions. Consistent with the long standing policy and practice of the executive branch, i can neither assert executive privilege nor can i disclose today the content of my confidential conversations with the president. Under the administration of both parties, it is well established that a president is entitled to have private, Confidential Communications with his cabinet officials. Until such time as the president makes a decision with respect to this privilege, i cannot waive that privilege myself or otherwise compromise his ability to assert it. As a result, during todays hearing and under these circumstances today, i will not be able to discuss the content of my conversations with the president. Now, i understand you have an important oversight responsibility today. And i hope you will respect this long standing practice and respect the duty that i feel and that i face. All right. I want to bring my panel in. Msnbcs garrett haak