Better Late Than Never, But Not By Much

"History is so cool," Charlie Pierce says weekly. However cool it is, it's not often remembered, as he appears to understand:

Liked that Muslim ban a little too much.

— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) October 3, 2023

To be accurate, as I'm able to do absent advertising and political ambition- it was not a Muslim ban but a ban on travel to the USA from several nations, most of them Muslim. Still, point made and six years ago

In October 2017, Roll Call reported

Last year Kelly incorrectly said that (US Representative Frederica) Wilson derailed the dedication of a Federal Bureau of Investigation building to brag about having “called up President [Barack] Obama for the funding,” characterizing her as part of a “long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise.” A video of the event proved that claim to be false.

Wilson said that Kelly’s “empty barrel” insult had racial connotations. Sociologists have described the treatment of Wilson by the White House — namely President Donald Trump’s tweet ridiculing her as “wacky” — as out of a historic playbook characterizing people of color and black professionals as unfit.

In October, Trump and Kelly sought to undercut Wilson after she criticized Trump’s comments in a call to Myeshia Johnson, the widow of an Army sergeant killed in an ambush in Niger. Wilson overheard a call in which Trump told Myeshia Johnson that the sergeant “knew what he signed up for.”

Kelly’s claim inflamed supporters of the president. Wilson became the target of death threats, including threats of lynching and nooses through the mail. The threats became so severe that she could not cast votes.

If Kelly didn't want to acknowledge that his accusation was inaccurate, he might have at least called for calm among Trump supporters Nonetheless

Kelly has stood by his comments.

Days after video footage disproved his account of Wilson’s behavior, in an interview with Fox News’ “Ingraham Angle,” host Laura Ingraham asked if the chief of staff if he felt he had a reason to apologize, to which Kelly responded “No. Never.”

“I’ll apologize if I need to, but for something like this, absolutely not,” he said.

Wilson said that comes as no surprise to her.

If you watch center and liberal cable news, you've noticed that the accolades now have poured in for the General and former Chief of Staff to President Trump as

Kelly set the record straight with on-the-record confirmation of a number of damning stories about statements Trump made behind closed doors attacking US service members and veterans, listing a number of objectionable comments Kelly witnessed Trump make firsthand.

“What can I add that has not already been said?” Kelly said, when asked if he wanted to weigh in on his former boss in light of recent comments made by other former Trump officials. “A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ A person who demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family – for all Gold Star families – on TV during the 2016 campaign, and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.

“A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on evangelical Christians, on Jews, on working men and women,” Kelly continued. “A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and war should lose his life for treason – in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law.

“There is nothing more that can be said,” Kelly concluded. “God help us.”

In the statement, Kelly is confirming, on the record, a number of details in a 2020 story in The Atlantic by editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.

        

With or without exposing Trump, Kelly could have walked away from him before the election in 2016. He could have exposed Trump prior to the election of 2020, thereby doing his part to help Joe Biden win. Or he could have exposed DJT soon before the first or the second impeachment trial.

Interestingly, in this statement from Gen. Kelly excoriating Trump, he mentions awful things Trump did during the 2016 election and yet… Kelly happily went to work for Trump after 2016, first at DHS and then at the White House, as chief of staff. 🤷🏽‍♂️ https://t.co/WIpacKUnw0

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) October 2, 2023

General Kelly finally is speaking out about Donald Trump's blatant contempt for members of the Armed Services and adding to the historical record, so let's not look a gift horse in the mouth.  But the gift needs to be put into perspective. Kelly is no Milley. Timing, like size, matters and Kelly's timing suits his interests and not the best interests of the American people. He is a careerist- of far greater integrity than those who still are keeping their silence, but still self-interested.

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