Democrat Steve Cohen Tries to Walk Back Purple Heart Slur of Veterans

U.S. Rep Steve Cohen (D-TN) wants to take it back after drawing fire for flippantly telling anti-Trump FBI lovebird Peter Strzok he wanted to give him a Purple Heart during a Congressional hearing.

The Memphis Democrat made the remark during the disgraced FBI agent’s heated testimony in front of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees regarding his bias against President Donald Trump.

For an analysis of the hearing, click here.

Even reporter Aaron Blake of the Washington Post was dumbfounded:

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.): "Mr. Strzok, if I could give you a Purple Heart, I would."

Really?

— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) July 12, 2018

Now, Cohen wants to take it back. Newsmax quoted his interview with CNN’s Ana Cabrera: “I regret using the term ‘Purple Heart. I used it metaphorically, not literally. I never thought, literally, it should be given to Agent Strzok,” he said.

The Purple Heart is given to U.S. service members who are wounded or are killed during combat.

The apology may be too little, too late.

Some veterans in Tennessee say they’re planning a protest march in protest of Cohen’s remark, Fox News reports.

Sean Higgins, an Air Force veteran from Memphis, is leading the upcoming march, The Tennessean reported. Higgins said many constituents are “p****d as hell” after Cohen said Strzok deserved the military award.

“How do you compare someone getting wounded in combat to someone getting in trouble for message he sent? How can Cohen claim (Strzok) get a Purple Heart for that?” Higgins said.

Even Geraldo Rivera is calling Cohen out, Newsmax reports.

Rivera says Cohen owes the military an apology.

“I think Congressman Cohen owes all of the service members who have been killed or wounded in action a heart-felt apology. He never should have gone there,” the Fox News personality said Friday on “Fox & Friends.”