The sister and family attorney of slain Army Private First Class Vanessa Guillen, 20, denounced the report in an exclusive appearance on “The Ingraham Angle,” after The Atlantic claimed that former President Trump disrespected her while in office. .
Myra Guillen wrote a report in The Atlantic's “Vile” alleging that President Trump called his sister, the daughter of a Mexican immigrant killed by a comrade at Fort Hood in 2020, “despicable.” He blamed editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. “I'm Mexican,” he said, refusing to pay the money he had promised to pay for her funeral.
“I'm hurt in every sense of the word,” Guillen told Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Wednesday. “It's been four long years and it brings back a lot of bad memories that we've already given, and my family, and myself, are the main spokespeople for them, and unfortunately they passed away.” For my sister, it was just a slap in the face. It was a lie from the beginning, so it was very upsetting.”
Atlantic report alleges President Trump belittled a military private first class by assaulting his family: 'Completely false'
Myra Guillen and attorney Natalie Khawam spoke with Fox News' Laura Ingraham about The Atlantic's “gotcha” article about former President Trump. (Fox News Channel)
Family attorney Natalie Khawam said Goldberg first confronted her about the case in January and told her it was about the fourth anniversary of Vanessa Guillen's murder.
“He contacted me first and said he was interested in this. [a story of] “It's been four years since Vanessa was murdered,” Khawam said. “I texted Myra. I said, 'Hey, can you take it from here?' Would you like to talk to him about Vanessa's case? They will discuss further issues regarding this case and what he has discovered. ”And she spoke to him in January. Just recently, he contacted me again, and this is when the topic came up and he was clearly teasing me. We're not talking about Vanessa here. It was just trouble with Trump. ”
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When asked if she felt misunderstood by Goldberg, Myra Gillen said, “Absolutely.”
“Originally, when we first spoke, he said this was a recap of our four-year anniversary, how we passed the bill, and all the accomplishments that were done in honor of Vanessa. “It's a summing up of things,” Gillen said. She added that Goldberg did not tell her about the disparaging comments she was planning to report about Trump and told her the article would be published around April.
“I issued a statement to him and told him that I was not happy with what he was about to release and that I no longer wanted to be a part of it or see my sister's name appear in that article. He's still not only publishing it, he's basically tarnishing my sister's image with this, and that's very upsetting,” she later said.
Wreaths will be laid at a march and wake in memory of the slain Army Special Forces. Vanessa Guillen on July 12, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)
“This piece…was full of lies,” Khawam said. “I talked to him myself and told him some things. In fact, I said I can't talk about this issue and I can't talk about these things. And he said, “That's what Natalie Khawam said.” That wasn't true, and that's what really bothers me, I've worked for years with both sides of the aisle, producers, reporters, and the media. But I've never had to deal with someone on both sides of the aisle. Honestly, it was wrong, and I have to take the position of criticizing him. There wasn't.”
In response to The Ingraham Angle, The Atlantic issued a statement saying, “Everyone should read this important reporting from The Atlantic.”
Goldberg also appeared to dismiss criticism of his report from Guillen, Khawam and others, telling CNN, “I don't give any weight to the criticism.”
“My sister was not at the meeting. The family's lawyer was not at the meeting. Mark Meadows was also at the meeting, Kash Patel was at the meeting. A number of senior officials were at the meeting. “I have sources.'' People who were at that meeting have notes taken at the same time by participants in that meeting that explain exactly what I described in this story.'' Goldberg said Tuesday night.
Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg has come under fire after critics accuse him of lying in his election “hit piece” against former President Trump. (Countess Jemal/Getty Images, The Atlantic)
Goldberg began reporting on Trump's interactions with the Guillén family during a visit to the White House in July 2020. President Trump comforted the family and offered financial aid to cover funeral costs. But when Trump received the bill, Goldberg reported, he became furious and refused to pay, saying, “It costs less than $60,000 to bury a fucking Mexican!”
Khawam reportedly told Goldberg that his family had not received any money from Trump and that some of the costs were ultimately covered by the military and donations.
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Both Myra Guillen and Khawam slammed the report on social media.
“Wow. I don't understand how you're politicizing my sister's death. It's harmful and disrespectful to the important changes she made for our military,” Guillen wrote to X. “President Donald Trump showed nothing but respect for my family and my family.” Vanessa, I actually voted for President Trump today. ”
US President Donald Trump held a photo of Gloria Guillen, the mother of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, who was found dead after disappearing from Fort Hood, Texas, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Meeting with No. 3 L), his family, and his lawyer. , DC, July 30, 2020. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
The report also included on-the-record denials from Mark Meadows, Trump's then-chief of staff, and Kash Patel, former chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, who were said to have been present at the meeting. .
Meadows spoke out against the Atlantic.
“I was part of the debate that was featured in The Atlantic's latest hit article against President Trump. Let me just say this: President Trump disrespected Guillen and refused to pay for her funeral. Any suggestion that he did is completely false,” Meadows wrote to X. Not only was he kind and compassionate, he also wanted to make sure the military and the U.S. government were doing the right thing according to Vanessa Guillen and her family. ”
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Meadow spokesperson Ben Williamson shared a screenshot of a statement provided to Goldberg, saying, “President Donald Trump never said that,” and that Goldberg did not agree with the report. criticized how he had “translated” that comment. I heard President Trump's statement. ”
“Please respond appropriately to this dishonest work,” Williamson warned.
