Gold Star families said Vice President Kamala Harris’s attack on former President Donald Trump — accusing him of playing politics by going to Arlington National Cemetery to honor the 13 fallen service members who lost their lives as a result of the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan — has made them a “target for a lot of hate.”
Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle hosted War Room on Tuesday and spoke to family members of the fallen service members in the wake of Harris’s attack on Trump and, as a consequence, on them. In a post over the weekend, Harris essentially suggested that these grieving family members allowed Trump to use them as props for political purposes.
As Vice President, I have had the privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times. It is a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation.
It is not a place for politics.
And…
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 31, 2024
That, they said, is absolutely not true.
Christy Shamblin, mother-in-law of Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, said she was “shocked” when she saw Harris’s post, explaining that they also invited President Biden and Harris to Arlington that day as well.
“I was shocked when I saw her post. You know, we did invite them to Arlington that day, and we never heard any response, just as we’ve never heard any response from any of our attempts at communication with President Biden and Vice President Harris and the White House,” she said.
“And it’s — having her post that on social media has made us a target for a lot of hate right now. And it’s shocking,” she added.
Steve Nikoui, father of Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, said, “Just like Christy, I was shocked” by Harris’s statement as well. He said it is ironic that Harris is accusing Trump of playing politics, when she is doing exactly that.
“But not to — not to a great extent, you know, the one that’s claiming that, you know, we’re playing politics, or that he’s playing politics — it’s actually her that’s playing politics,” he said.
Jim McCollum, father of Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, told Boyle he was “disappointed” and a little “hurt” by Harris’s statement also.
“We’re kind of used to having that scab ripped off and feeling a little bit of pain, but this one — it became personal, and it was such a beautiful moment, finally, to recognize the kids — something that hasn’t happened in a long time, and we’ve kept our kids out of the politics,” he explained.
“We’ve never discussed it, but it’s just like, you know, out of respect for our kids, we’ve never included them in politics, and they made it political, and for me, that became personal,” McCollum added.
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