close
close

The sister of slain Army soldier Trump has reportedly been vilified and claims The Atlantic misled her about the focus of the story

The sister of slain Army soldier Trump has reportedly been vilified and claims The Atlantic misled her about the focus of the story

Subscribe to Fox News to access this content

You have reached the maximum number of articles. Log in or create an account for FREE to continue reading.

By entering your email address and clicking Continue, you agree to the Fox News Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which include our Financial Incentives Notice.

Please enter a valid email address.

Are you having problems? Click here.

The sister and family attorney of 20-year-old Vanessa Guillén, the slain Army soldier who, according to The Atlantic, denigrated former President Trump while he was in office, appeared exclusively on “The Ingraham Angle” to rebuke the report.

Mayra Guillén called The Atlantic's “despicable” editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who wrote the report alleging that Trump accused his sister, the daughter of Mexican immigrants who was murdered by a fellow soldier at Fort Hood in 2020, an “f -” designated. –ing Mexican” and refused to pay the promised money for her funeral.

“It was just hurtful in every way,” Guillén told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Wednesday. “It brought back so many bad memories that we had already left behind after four long years and it was just a slap in the face for my family, for myself as I was the main spokesperson for them and for my sister who sadly passed away is. It was just a lie from the start and it was very disturbing.

THE ATLANTIC REPORT IN WHICH TRUMP CLAIM THE SURGERY, AN ARMY PRIVATE WHO WAS VILLED BY A FAMILY AND OTHERS, IS 'ABSOLUTELY FALSE'

Guillen Ingraham Angle

Mayra Guillén and attorney Natalie Khawam spoke with Fox News' Laura Ingraham about The Atlantic's “Gotcha” story on former President Trump. (Fox News Channel)

Natalie Khawam, the family's lawyer, said she was first confronted by Goldberg about the story in January, but was told the story was about the four-year anniversary of Vanessa Guillén's murder.

“He initially reached out to me and said he was interested in writing a story about the four-year anniversary of Vanessa’s murder,” Khawam said. “I texted Mayra. I said, 'Hey, can you keep doing this? Do you want to talk to him about Vanessa's case? They'll discuss other topics about the case, things he found out.' And she spoke to him in January. He just recently reached out to me again and this is where the story came up and obviously wasn't really talking about Vanessa.”

ATLANTIC ARTICLE COMPARING TRUMP TO 'HITLER, STALIN' TRIGGERS ONLINE CRITICISM FROM JOURNALISTS AND EXPERTS

When asked if she felt she was misled by Goldberg, Mayra Guillén said “absolutely.”

“When we first spoke, he initially mentioned that this would once again be a conclusion to the four-year anniversary and the passing of laws and all the achievements in Vanessa's honor,” Guillén said. He added that Goldberg hadn't told her about the derogatory comments he planned to report about Trump and that he told her he expected the article to be published around April.

“I made a statement to him telling him that I was not happy with what he was going to publish and that I no longer wanted to be involved or that I wanted my sister's name to be part of this article. And yet He not only published it, but He basically tarnished my sister's image, and that's very disturbing,” she later said.

Vanessa Guillen Memorial

Flowers are laid at a march and vigil honoring the murdered Army Spec. Vanessa Guillen on July 12, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)

“This piece … was full of lies,” Khawam said. “I myself spoke to him and told him certain things. In fact, I said that I couldn't talk about these things and not about these things. And then he says, 'Natalie Khawam said this and that.' That wasn't true. That's what really bothers me. I've worked with both sides of the aisle for years, I've never dealt with either side of the aisle. I've just gone so far below the belt just to get a story out. Honestly, it was unethical.

In response to “The Ingraham Angle,” The Atlantic issued a statement saying, “Everyone should read this important reporting in The Atlantic.”

Goldberg also appeared to dismiss criticism of his report from Guillén, Khawam and others, telling CNN, “I don't make much of it at all.”

“The sister was not at the meeting. The family's lawyer was not at the meeting. Mark Meadows was at the meeting. Kash Patel was at the meeting. A number of high-ranking officials were present at the meeting. I have sources.” “I have contemporary notes from participants in that meeting that describe exactly what I described in the story,” Goldberg said Tuesday night.

Jeffrey Goldberg

Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg is under fire as critics accuse him of lying in a campaign hit against former President Trump. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for The Atlantic)

Goldberg began his account of Trump's interaction with the Guillén family in July 2020 when they visited the White House. While consoling the family, Trump offered to provide financial assistance to cover funeral costs. But Goldberg reported that Trump became angry when he received the bill and refused to pay it, saying, “It doesn't cost $60,000 to bury a damn Mexican!”

According to the report, Khawam told Goldberg that the family received no money from Trump and that the costs were ultimately partially covered by the army and donations.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS

Both Mayra Guillén and Khawam took to social media to condemn the report.

“Wow. I don't appreciate how you're exploiting my sister's death for politics – hurtful and disrespectful to the important changes she made for service members,” Guillén wrote on To show respect and Vanessa. In fact, I voted for President Trump today.

Trump WH meeting

US President Donald Trump speaks with Gloria Guillen (3rd from left), the mother of Vanessa Guillen, a Fort Hood soldier who was found dead after disappearing from Fort Hood, Texas, as well as her family and lawyer in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2020. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

The report included on-the-record denials from Trump's then-chief of staff Mark Meadows and Kash Patel, the former chief of staff to then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, who were reportedly present at the meeting.

Meadows spoke out against The Atlantic.

“I was involved in the discussions featured in the Atlantic's latest hit article against President Trump. Let me say this: Any suggestion that President Trump disparaged Ms. Guillen or refused to pay for her funeral expenses is absolutely false,” Meadows wrote on and the U.S. government to do right by Vanessa Guillen and her family.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Ben Williamson, Meadow's spokesman, shared a screenshot of the statement he provided to Goldberg in which he said, “President Donald Trump absolutely did not say that.” He heard Trump make the statement.

“Treat this dishonest piece accordingly,” Williamson warned.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *