The widow of a US soldier who was killed in action in Niger hit the headlines recently when a senior politician claimed President Donald Trump told the deceased’s family in a phone call that “he knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurts”.
President Trump denies making the comments and says the politician – Congresswoman Frederica Wilson – is not telling the truth.
But David Johnson’s widow has now spoken publicly for the first time, telling US TV news programme Good Morning America that “whatever [Congresswoman Frederica Wilson] said was not fabricated. What she said was 100% correct.”
She adds that she has been prevented from seeing her husband’s body.
“They won’t show me a finger, a hand. I don’t know what’s in that box. It could be empty for all I know. But I need to see my husband. I haven’t seen him since he came home,” Myeshia Johnson told Good Morning America.
David Johnson was one of four soldiers killed – three of them from the US – in an ambush in Niger near the border with Mali.
The US soldiers had been providing advice and assistance in Niger’s counter-terror operations and come under “hostile fire”, the US Africa Command has said.
Islamist militants, including al-Qaeda fighters, operate in the region.
Mrs Johnson was recently forced to speak out after a fake Facebook post began circulating which was written in her name and defended Mr Trump.
Mrs Johnson says the post criticising Ms Wilson – who has been in a war of words with Mr Trump – was written by someone claiming to be her.
