- The Washington Times - Thursday, July 30, 2020

President Trump met Thursday with the family of slain Army soldier Vanessa Guillen at the White House and pledged justice in her death.

“It hit me very hard,” the president told family members in the Oval Office. “We didn’t want this to be swept under the rug.”

The president offered to pay some of the soldier’s funeral costs.



Guillen was found dead in late June, months after disappearing from Fort Hood in Texas. Spc. Aaron Robinson, 20, who was suspected in Guillen’s disappearance, killed himself after police confronted him Texas earlier this month.

The Army has appointed a five-member civilian task force to review the “command climate and culture at Fort Hood” and investigate the killing.

Guillen’s family members, including her mother, asked the president for help determining why she died and alleged harassment leading up to the killing. One family member said the Army should have showed Guillen more respect, and that she had been afraid of retaliation for reporting harassment.

Mr. Trump said, “There’s a lot of pain here.”

Dave Boyer contributed to this story.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

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