White House adviser Kellyanne Conway called out congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday for her assertion that Gen. John Kelly is a “coward.”

Ocasio-Cortez, the newly-elected Democratic representative from New York, tweeted Monday that White House chief of staff John Kelly should apologize to Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson, and that failing to do so is “cowardice.” Kelly was accused of racism last October after he called Rep. Wilson an “empty barrel” for sharing the contents of President Donald Trump’s call with a Gold Star family.

John Kelly was straight up exposed for lying about @RepWilson in comments aimed at discrediting her. He absolutely owes her an apology, and his refusal to do so isn’t a sign of strength – it’s cowardice. https://t.co/BA40Hgofvk — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) December 10, 2018

During an interview with Fox News, Conway said that the country “owes [Kelly] a debt of gratitude” for his dedication to public service.

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“This country owes him a debt of gratitude, not the nonsense that’s been spewed about him, even recently from the left and from this 29-year-old congresswoman who doesn’t seem to know much about anything when you ask her basic concepts about the economy, the Middle East, military funding — really embarrassing,” Conway asserted.

Conway opted not to say Ocasio-Cortez’s name or repeat her comments about Kelly on air.

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