Former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Zach Fuentes reportedly denied The Atlantic's account that President Donald Trump had disparaged troops in Europe as justification for canceling his trip. Fuentes is allegedly close to former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.
“You can put me on record denying that I spoke with The Atlantic,” Fuentes shared with Breitbart on Monday. “I don’t know who the sources are. I did not hear POTUS call anyone losers when I told him about the weather. Honestly, do you think General Kelly would have stood by and let ANYONE call fallen Marines losers?”
Fuentes asserted that it was not likely The Atlantic's sources are firsthand accounts, adding that "they are conflating those people from something the day after."
Fuentes did take issue with Trump criticizing Kelly, saying: "On a separate note, I am disappointed to see POTUS talk about General Kelly so negatively in the middle of being accused of saying negative things about the military" ... "If anyone understands selfless service, it’s General Kelly.”
Breitbart reported that Fuentes denying the allegations against the president is "a monstrous strike against the credibility of the report." Former National Security Advisor John Bolton, a Trump critic, has also denied the allegations through notes in his memoir that was published earlier this year.
“I also think any President, regardless of political affiliation, deserves to have candid and private conversations with trusted advisors,” Fuentes noted. “If the President decides to talk about it, that is his right, but generally, I don’t think it is my place to divulge private conversations I’ve had with him.”
