By Speaker of the House Mike Johnson intervened to facilitate former President Donald Trump’s attendance at Arlington National Cemetery for the third anniversary of the Afghanistan withdrawal, according to a report by the Daily Caller.
The event, organized by Gold Star families who lost loved ones during the disastrous Biden withdrawal, honored the 13 servicemembers killed in Afghanistan. Despite the families’ requests, Arlington National Cemetery allegedly made it difficult for Trump to participate in the ceremony, according to one of the families who spoke to the outlet.
🚨 NEW: The families of the 13 soldiers k*lled in Kabul did NOT invite Biden or Harris to the ceremony at Arlington
They only invited President Trump. That should tell you ALL you need to know.
Biden and Harris have been IGNORING and DISRESPECTING these families for years now,… pic.twitter.com/WEjh8Om21Z
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 26, 2024
The families invited Trump to lay a wreath in remembrance of the fallen servicemembers, but they encountered obstacles from the cemetery’s administration. Arlington officials reportedly restricted the families to a specific time that was inconvenient for everyone, and initially barred Trump from joining them at their children’s gravesites. These logistical challenges prompted the families to seek assistance from members of Congress.
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, told The Daily Caller that he was contacted by Darin Hoover and Kelly Barnett, parents of SSGT Taylor Hoover, one of the servicemembers killed at Abbey Gate during the withdrawal. They expressed frustration that Arlington National Cemetery was making it difficult to arrange a ceremony involving Trump on the anniversary of their children’s deaths. McCaul promptly reached out to Speaker Johnson for assistance.
“When Darin and Kelly contacted me, I was furious to hear their request to have President Trump join them to commemorate the anniversary of Taylor’s death was being stymied, along with several of the other family members of U.S. servicemembers killed at Abbey Gate. I immediately asked what I could do to help and reached out to Speaker Johnson to see what he could do. Thankfully, Speaker Johnson and his team acted quickly and were able to get the situation resolved. But something like this should never have happened. Gold Star families have already suffered enough,” McCaul told the Caller.
California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa has called on Biden to meet with these Gold Star families on multiple occasions, his office told the Caller. He was present for the ceremonies on Monday and had been in contact with Arlington National Cemetery leading up to the anniversary, his office said.
“This administration absolutely interfered with the tributes to the 13 fallen. In its war on Trump, it made the Gold Star families collateral damage,” Issa told the Caller.
“Our office worked with Arlington National Cemetery to move the time of the event, to a time that would accommodate the attendance of President Trump. That was done as a request by the families to this office, as they were not receiving that assistance from Arlington National Cemetery,” two sources close to the discussions told the Caller.
According to those familiar with the discussions, Arlington National Cemetery initially resisted adjusting the event schedule to accommodate Trump’s participation, prompting the families to seek help from congressional offices. After Speaker Johnson intervened, Arlington’s stance reportedly changed, and the necessary arrangements were finalized just days before the ceremony.
A source familiar with Arlington Cemetery’s efforts to block Trump told the Daily Call that “The Speaker of the House had to get involved. After the Speaker’s call, the situation shifted significantly. It was only three days before the ceremonies, and Arlington National Cemetery waited until the last minute to confirm key components of the event with the families.”
Darin Hoover, in an emotional statement to the Caller, underscored that the invitation to Trump came directly from the families, who have been disappointed by the lack of communication from the Biden administration over the past three years. “We are the ones who called Trump and asked for him to show up,” Hoover said. “President Trump has stood by us from day one. He has been compassionate. He has been loving. He’s been understanding… We haven’t heard diddly squat from the current administration in three years.”
Biden infamously looked at his watch during the ceremony to honor those who were killed during his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Before it became a political liability, Kamala Harris took credit for her role in planning the removal of troops from Afghanistan and claimed to Biden’s chief adviser on the strategy.
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