GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Two Republican candidates in Michigan who both served in the military have yet to respond to a report from The Atlantic that claims President Donald Trump disparaged dead U.S. military members when he was in Paris two summers ago. The White House denies the story.
In the article, four anonymous sources say the president said several offensive things, including—in 2018—calling dead WWI troops buried at an American military cemetery in France 'suckers' and 'losers.' The Associated Press and The Washington Post have since independently confirmed the story.
John James, who is running for U.S. Senate against first-term Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, graduated from West Point and served in the U.S. Army with distinction in Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning the Combat Action Badge and two Air Medals, according to his campaign page.
13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to the James campaign Friday afternoon for a response. His opponent, Peters, who is a U.S. Navy Reserve veteran, tweeted a reaction Friday morning, saying "the soldiers who gave their lives in service to this nation are heroes. To speak anything less of them is nothing short of despicable."
Peter Meijer, who is competing in the race for Michigan's 3rd Congressional district, served in the Army Reserves and served a year in Iraq as a non-commissioned officer. His campaign was asked for a statement Friday afternoon; they have yet to respond.
Meijer is running against Democrat Hillary Scholten, a civil rights attorney who served in the Department of Justice during the Obama administration. Her campaign said, "Unfortunately, recent reports of Trump disparaging our brave veterans is nothing new. That’s why, today, as everyday, I’m reminded by how much our brave men and women in uniform sacrifice and how important it is we stand with them."
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