| New reporting from the Washington Post spotlights how Jen Kiggans has joined her boss Donald Trump in disrespecting the servicemembers on the USS Lincoln as conditions continue to deteriorate.
The Washington Post reports that “Kiggans’s initial response to reports that the Lincoln was suffering supply and maintenance problems was to blame the media for spreading ‘misinformation about our great Navy’ and ‘democrat lies.’”
They also note that “Kiggans received considerable criticism in March when there were concerns about the conditions aboard the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford and Kiggans said, ‘This is not Carnival Cruise, this is the U.S. Navy.’”
While Kiggans fails to stand up for servicemembers and their families, former Congresswoman and Navy veteran Elaine Luria highlighted her opposition to the reckless war of choice in Iran and told the Post: “They’re sending your sons, daughters, husbands, wives, into harm’s way. And they’re not even compassionate about it.”
Read more key highlights from the reporting below:
Washington Post: How Trump’s dismissive comment could damage GOP chances in a key House race
- After stories about deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln began to surface last week, President Donald Trump had a choice to make: He could attempt to comfort the sailors’ families, who were growing increasingly worried about their loved ones’ well-being, or question the veracity of the reports. The president went with the latter.
- […] Trump’s rhetoric about the Lincoln might be remembered well, at least in one key part of the country.
- Here is why: One of the most competitive House races is Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District in the southeastern Tidewater region. The district has one of the largest active-duty military populations in the country because of bases in the area, and it’s predominantly Navy.
- While the Lincoln is based in San Diego, comments about carrier groups and conditions resonate in this part of Virginia in a way that they don’t in, say, Iowa. And the two candidates running in this district are Navy veterans. Democrats very much hope to make the comments an issue, and to make the argument that Republicans aren’t doing enough to look after American sailors.
- “It hits home very much for our district,” said Elaine Luria, the Democrat running to oust Rep. Jen Kiggans. Luria said that she will “absolutely” be talking about Trump’s comments while campaigning, and that they highlight a lack of defense oversight by Kiggans and the Republican-controlled Congress.
- “I’d be talking about it all day, every day” if she were still in Congress, Luria said.
- Kiggans’s initial response to reports that the Lincoln was suffering supply and maintenance problems was to blame the media for spreading “misinformation about our great Navy” and “democrat lies.”
- Kiggans declined to speak with me for this piece. But when I asked her spokesperson whether she agrees with the president’s comments about the Lincoln’s deployment, Kiggans provided a statement.
- Luria told me that kind of statement is not enough and noted that Kiggans received considerable criticism in March when there were concerns about the conditions aboard the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford and Kiggans said, “This is not Carnival Cruise, this is the U.S. Navy,” before acknowledging some of the maintenance concerns.
- “Concern about the war is so much more personal in our district,” Luria said. “Yes, people are fed up with paying high gas prices, but it’s more personal. They’re sending your sons, daughters, husbands, wives, into harm’s way. And they’re not even compassionate about it. So it really shows like a broader carelessness about veterans and service members.”
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