The spat erupted after The Atlantic reported that President Donald Trump refused to pay for the funeral costs of a soldier killed at a military base in Texas in 2020.
The sister of the deceased woman defended the former US president amid widespread backlash against him.
In 2020, then-President Trump received $60,000 from Vanessa Guillen’s family for her funeral, which he had previously offered to pay for, according to The Atlantic, written by the magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. He said he was furious about the bill. .
President Trump reportedly said, “It doesn’t cost $60,000 to bury a Mexican,” and instructed his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, not to pay.
Guillen, a 20-year-old Army private, disappeared from Fort Hood military base in Killeen, Texas, after telling friends and family that he had been sexually harassed on the base. Her body was found about two months later, dismembered and burned.
Prosecutors said she was killed by another soldier, Aaron Robinson, who shot himself when confronted by police.
Robinson’s girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for her role in Guillen’s murder. She pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting murder and three counts of making false or false statements.
After Guillen’s body was discovered, President Trump met with Guillen’s family at the White House in July 2020 and promised to help pay for Vanessa’s funeral.
New allegations reported in The Atlantic on Tuesday allege that President Trump made derogatory comments in December 2020 questioning funeral costs, and two sources say the family has not received any money from the former president. naming people.
Through a spokesperson quoted in the Atlantic article, President Trump denied the accusations.
Late Tuesday after The Atlantic’s report was published, Vanessa’s sister Myra Guillen criticized the article on social media.
“It is incomprehensible that you are politicizing my sister’s death. It is harmful and disrespectful to the important changes she made for our military,” she wrote, adding that the family named after Vanessa It cites bipartisan federal legislation that requires, among other things: The Biden administration signed into law in 2021 that sexual harassment complaints about military personnel will be referred to an independent investigative agency.
“President Donald Trump showed nothing but respect for my family and Vanessa. In fact, I voted for President Trump today,” Myra said in a statement.
Natalie Khawam, the Guillén family’s attorney, also disparaged The Atlantic’s work and author online.
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“I have dealt with hundreds of reporters during my legal career, but unfortunately this is the first time I have had to go on record naming Jeffrey Goldberg on the Atlantic coast. Not only did he misrepresent the conversation, but he completely lied in his sensational article,” Khawam said. “More importantly, he used and exploited the murder of my client and Vanessa Guillen for cheap political gain.”
She added, “As everyone knows, Trump not only supported our military, but he also invited my clients to the Oval Office and supported the ‘I Am Vanessa Guillen’ bill.” ” he continued.
Meadows also responded to the article, saying, “Any suggestion that President Trump would disrespect Ms. Guillen or refuse to pay for her funeral is completely false.” I just wanted to make sure his honor was protected.” The military and the U.S. government did the right thing by Vanessa Guillen and her family. ”
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, who served in the Army National Guard, also spoke out about the former president’s alleged comments.
Minnesota’s governor addressed the allegations at a rally Tuesday, saying, “Don’t be a frog in hot water and think this is okay.” “As a 24-year veteran of our nation’s military, that really makes me sick, and it should make you feel bad, too.”
On Tuesday evening, Representative Joaquin Castro of Texas spoke out about Mr. X elsewhere, writing about his alleged remarks: This man doesn’t care about us. ”
The Atlantic article also reported that two people who testified that they heard President Trump say that he once said in a private conversation at the White House that he needed a “general like Hitler” This is also corroborated by President Trump’s former chief of staff. Staff member John Kelly.
President Trump’s spokesperson denied the former president’s statements as “completely false.”
