Trump took to Twitter and doubled down on his assertion that he never told the family of a US soldier killed in Niger he "knew what he was getting himself into."

Just hours after White House chief of staff John Kelly made an unexpected and emotional defense of how President Trump handled a phone call to the family of a fallen solider that was widely criticized, Trump contradicted the retired Marine general in a tweet calling the call description "a total lie." Kelly, whose own son died in combat, criticized the politicization of the president's phone call to the family of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, and from the podium at the daily White House briefing, spoke of how difficult the phone call could be. He said he instructed the president on what to say, including telling the family that Johnson "knew what he was getting himself into," and characterized it as an attempt of telling his family he had died a warrior.

That comment has been at the center of the latest firestorm to engulf the White House after Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat who was listening in on the phone call, and Johnson's mother, called the statement disrespectful. Kelly, addressing reporters, confirmed the president made the comment and tried to offer context to it. But hours after Kelly's comments to the press, Trump took to Twitter and doubled down on his assertion that he had never made the comment, attacking Wilson by calling her "wacky" and alleging once more her version of the phone call was "a total lie."

The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilson(D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!

He also alleged Wilson listened into the phone call secretly. Wilson, however, was accompanying the family and has been a friend of the Johnson's for decades.

The president's tweet was just the latest example of Trump contradicting his own staff. Kelly's remarks were at times powerful — such as when he poignantly described how the military informs families that a service member has died — and deeply personal, making a rare mention of the fact that his own son died while serving in Afghanistan. He was also political, seeming to skip over the fact that his boss has stirred widespread divisiveness about military service.

Kelly also explained the complexities around a president addressing the family of a fallen service member, known as a Gold Star family. It became a huge issue after the family of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed in a surprise attack in Niger, said that Trump disrespected them during his condolence call. Trump had already been facing questions about why he hadn't reached out sooner.

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Army Sgt. La David Johnson Kelly directly addressed the recent controversy over President Trump's call on Tuesday to the family of Johnson.

On Tuesday, Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Democrat from Johnson's hometown, was traveling with his family while en route to greet his casket when Trump called. They placed the call on speakerphone.

Wilson then told a local reporter that Trump said Johnson "knew what he signed up for...but when it happens it hurts anyway." Johnson's mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, later said Wilson's memory of the call was correct, telling the Washington Post, "President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband."

But Kelly lashed out at Wilson on Thursday, saying she shouldn't have been listening in on the call. (However, Kelly also added that he was on the call on the president's side.) "I was stunned when I came to work yesterday morning and brokenhearted at what I saw a member of Congress doing," Kelly said of Wilson speaking to the media. Kelly defended Trump's phone call, yet also seemed to confirm Wilson's account.

John Kelly: "President Obama... did not call my family. That was not a criticism...That's not a negative thing."