Trump Son Slammed for Response to London Attack

He tweeted months-old remark from mayor
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 23, 2017 2:05 AM CDT
Updated Mar 23, 2017 6:33 AM CDT
Trump Son Slammed for Response to London Attack
Donald Trump Jr., left, speaks as his brother Eric looks on during speeches at the grand opening of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, BC last month.   (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

President Trump's oldest son was slammed Wednesday for what was seen as a political attack on London's mayor within hours of a terrorist attack that left five people dead and dozens injured. "You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan," Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, linking to an Independent story from last September. Trump Jr. was accused of misrepresenting the mayor's remarks and exploiting the London attack, the BBC reports. Khan, speaking after a meeting with NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio the day after three NYC-area bombings, had been talking about the need for big cities to stay vigilant and be prepared for terrorist attacks.

"You have to be vigilant, you have to support the police doing an incredibly hard job, you have to support the security services," Khan said in September. It's not clear whether Trump Jr. was aware that the article he linked to was from months ago and not the mayor's response to the attack, the Guardian notes. "You use a terrorist attack on our city to attack London’s Mayor for your own political gain. You’re a disgrace," tweeted MP Wes Streeting. CNN reports that the White House offered a more diplomatic response to the attack, with Trump tweeting that he had spoken to Prime Minister Theresa May to offer condolences, and Sean Spicer saying it would be "irresponsible" to jump to conclusions about the incident. (Secret Service agents may have taken a selfie with Donald Trump Jr.'s sleeping 8-year-old.)

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