Rep. Wilson: John Kelly Calling Me An ‘Empty Barrel’ Is Racist

Backed into a corner, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), the congresswoman who attacked President Trump over his phone call to a Gold Star widow, is now playing the race card in her duel with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly for defending his boss against her political cheap shots.

Speaking with CNN on Friday morning, Wilson said that John Kelly is a “racist” for calling her an “empty barrel” when criticizing her for listening in to the President’s phone call and then using it as an opportunity for political points.

“That’s a racist term,” Wilson told CNN on Friday morning. “We looked it up in the dictionary because I had never heard of an empty barrel. And I don’t like to be dragged into something like that.”

Empty barrel simply means someone that makes the most noise, a term that John Kelly has used previously when referring to politicians he feels are out of line. “And a congresswoman stood up, and in the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise,” Kelly said when talking about Wilson, whom he felt had violated something sacred by listening in on the call.

During his press conference on Thursday, Kelly also criticized Wilson for previously attending a 2015 FBI ceremony to dedicate a building to two killed agents and using the moment to brag that she “was instrumental in getting the funding” for the building.

“We were stunned. Stunned that she had done it. Even for someone that is that empty a barrel, we were stunned,” Kelly said.

Wilson told CNN that she never said anything of the sort.

“I wasn’t even in Congress when the money for that building was appropriated,” Wilson said. “You know, I feel sorry for General Kelly. He has my sympathy for the loss of his son. But he can’t just go on TV and lie on me.”

Back in September, General Kelly used the same phrase “empty barrel” in reference to Illinois Democrat Rep. Luis Gutierrez after the congressman called him a “disgrace to the uniform” for aiding Trump with the fight against DACA.

“They can call people liars but it would be inappropriate for me to say the same thing back at them,” Kelly told Fox News at the time.”As my blessed mother used to say ‘empty barrels make the most noise.’”

Kelly has also been called a racist by Planned Parenthood on Twitter for the “empty barrel” comment and “attacking and undermining” minority politicians, a line of attack that others have begun participating in.