Rep. Steve Cohen regrets Purple Heart remarks, vets call them ‘insult to every service member'

Yihyun Jeong | The Tennessean

Show Caption Hide Caption Rep. Steve Cohen says FBI agent Peter Strzok deserves the 'Purple Heart' At a hearing before Congress, Rep. Steve Cohen said Rep. sayid FBI agent Peter Strzok deserves the "p

U.S. Rep. Cohen is backing off his remarks to award a Purple Heart to FBI agent Peter Strzok, saying he regrets his words and that his "intent was to speak methaphorically."

A group of veterans in Memphis has slammed Cohen’s comment Thursday as an “insult to every service member” and are demanding the Memphis Democrat apologize for his "disrespectful" words.

Cohen has caught flak for his comment Thursday during a hearing in Congress on whether Strzok’s work on the Russia or Hillary Clinton investigations has ever been tainted by his political beliefs.

He clarified his remarks Friday at a joint hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Judiciary Committee.

“I regret mentioning the Purple Heart medal at yesterday’s hearing. My intent was to speak metaphorically to make a broader point about attacks against the FBI and Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation into a Russian attack on our country," Cohen said.

“I have nothing but the highest respect for members of the Armed Forces, especially those who have been awarded Purple Hearts, as well as the hard working men and women at the FBI. We are safe because of their service and sacrifice," he said.

Democrats charged that Republicans were trying to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of possible collusion between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.

"If I could give you a Purple Heart, I would," Cohen said to Strzok in support. "This has been an attack on you and a way to attack Mr. Mueller and the investigation that is to get at Russian collusion involved in our election."

Fierce reaction to his comments were immediate and have flooded social media.

Ridiculous to conflate an award given to members of the armed forces who suffer injury in battle to whatever “injury” one thinks thinks this man suffered, which by the way were entirely self-inflicted. — HotCrazyMatrix (@hotcrazymatrix) July 13, 2018

Army veteran Darien Price, who lives in Memphis, said he was “blown away” by what he heard during the televised hearing.

“That’s all I can say without cursing,” Price said in a telephone interview with the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee.

Price is a Purple Heart recipient. He was injured in 2003 in Afghanistan when he was in a tank that came under enemy fire, he said. Initially denied to be a recipient, Price said Cohen’s office helped him with the congressional investigation that led the award in 2009.

“It was very personal to hear what he said. It was like a big slap in the face,” Price said. “It is disrespectful to those alive who wear the Purple Heart but especially to families who lost loved ones to who fought for this country. Truly saddening.”

To compare Peter Stzrok to a warrior who deserves a Purple Heart is repulsive! This statement shows Steve Cohen’s ignorance. — BrwneyeGirlnNash🍊🏈 (@BrwneyeGirlnBNA) July 12, 2018

Memphis veterans to lead march

Sean Higgins, an Air Force veteran living in Memphis, said he heard from many of Cohen’s constituents who are “pissed as hell” at Cohen for saying he would award someone for simply sending anti-Trump text messages.

“How do you compare someone getting wounded in combat to someone getting in trouble for message he sent? How can Cohen claim (Strzok) get a Purple Heart for that?” Higgins said in an interview.

“That came from Cohen’s mouth,” he said.

Higgins, a former employee at the Memphis VA hospital, said he was especially insulted as he attempted to work with Cohen for years regarding the condition of the hospital before making public his concerns.

His time at the VA has been a roller coaster ride that has seen him already fired twice and reinstated after appeal. He was fired last June, a day before President Donald Trump signed into law protections for whistleblowers at Veterans Affairs facilities around the country. He is currently appealing the move.

Higgins is organizing an upcoming march in response to Cohen’s remarks and in protest of the hospital’s treatment of veterans. He said he has applied for a permit and that 30 veterans, including Price, so far have committed to joining.

Reach Yihyun Jeong at yjeong@tennessean.com or 615-881-7309. Follow her on Twitter @yihyun_jeong.