Rep. Frederica Wilson joked Thursday that she’s “a rock star now” that the White House is paying attention to her after she publicly accused President Trump of being callous in a condolence call to a Special Forces’ widow.

“You mean to tell me that I’ve become so important that the White House is following me and my words?” the Florida Democrat told a local Fox affiliate on Miami Dade College’s North Campus. “This is amazing. That’s amazing. I’ll have to tell my kids that I’m a rock star now.”

White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, a retired Marine general whose son was killed in action in Afghanistan, admonished Mrs. Wilson during a press briefing Thursday for politicizing the president’s call to the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four special forces members killed in an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger.

Mrs. Wilson said she was in the limousine with Myeshia Johnson, who was on her way to Miami International Airport to meet the body of her husband, when she heard the president say, “He knew what he was signing up for.”

Family members of the soldier have reportedly backed up Mrs. Wilson’s account of the call, but the president said his comments were mischaracterized. Mr. Trump criticized the congresswoman on Twitter, writing, “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!”

Mr. Kelly said he was “brokenhearted” that Mrs. Wilson listened in on the “sacred” conversation and spoke to the media about it.

The congresswoman said she has been getting threatening phone calls from white nationalists since she spoke out, but she doesn’t appear to be backing down.

“Let me tell you what my mother told me when I was little,” she told Fox. “She said, ‘The dog can bark at the moon all night long, but it doesn’t become an issue until the moon barks back.’ “

Mr. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., rebuked Mrs. Wilson for the “rock star” comment, calling her a “disgusting person.”

So, what anyone with a brain already knew comes out on tape. Make a name for yourself at any cost. Disgusting person. https://t.co/O0H7LcTm4u — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 20, 2017

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.