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Kamala draws blistering scorn of Gold Star families for ‘vile, heinous’ attack on Trump visit to Arlington

September 1, 2024 | | Print Article

As the vice president tried to peddle a new “heinous, vile and disgusting” attack off the back of a hoax, Gold Star families of the fallen 13 launched a devastating salvo in return.

Three years after the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal had cost the lives of 13 U.S. service members outside the airport in Kabul, Vice President Kamala Harris was found trying to leverage a political attack out of her rival’s tribute beside the families and survivors.

Amid reports of an alleged confrontation at Arlington National Cemetery Monday between staff and members of former President Donald Trump’s campaign, Harris once again rolled out the “suckers and losers” hoax with her own projections about “playing politics.”

“Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt,” she had posted in part to X Saturday after acknowledging the cemetery, “is not a place for politics.”

Turning to the claims that a dispute had occurred over permissions for photography and videography, the vice president continued on her personal account, “This is nothing new from Donald Trump. This is a man who has called our fallen service members ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’ and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients.”

The Democratic Party nominee tacked on, “A man who, during a previous visit to the cemetery, reportedly said of fallen service members, ‘I don’t get it. What was in it for them?’ This is a man who is unable to comprehend anything other than service to himself.”

Trump’s running-mate Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who had said during a rally Wednesday that Harris can “go to hell” for her initial criticism of the ceremony, reacted to the post with one of his own decrying the vice president and the administration as he wrote, “President Trump was there at the invitation of families whose loved ones died because of your incompetence. Why don’t you get off social media and go launch an investigation into their unnecessary deaths?”

The Republican running mate was hardly alone in calling out those ultimately responsible for the deaths that included: Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, 31; Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, 23; Sgt. Johanny Rosairo Pichardo, 25; Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23; Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22; Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23; Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22; Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20; Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20; Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20; Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20;  Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, and Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, along with nearly 200 Afghan civilians.

In a series of videos posted by the Trump campaign, Gold Star parents who had yet to see accountability from the White House sounded off on Harris’ line of attack that Gold Star Father Mark Schmitz called “heinous, vile and disgusting.”

“Why did we want Trump there? It wasn’t to help his political campaign. We wanted a leader. That explains why you and Joe didn’t get a call,” he had said with a sentiment shared by Gold Star Fathers Herman Lopez, Darren Hoover, Jim McCollum and Steve Nikoui, Gold Star Mothers Coral Doolittle and Jaclyn Schmitz along with Gold Star Mother-in-Law Christy Shamblin.

“In keeping with the reverence and respect that is given to all members of our military that are buried there, we invited President Trump. We are the ones that asked for the video and the pictures to be taken at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” said Hoover who slammed Harris for “playing politics” as Nikoui made clear she hadn’t been at the dignified transfer.

“You should be ashamed and embarrassed [about] your lack of empathy and decency as a human being. You are only in this for the power and prestige. You don’t care for our military or the citizens of this country,” he went on. “You should hang your head in shame at your actions or lack thereof.”

“You have never walked a single day in our shoes. Our kids were murdered because of your administration and you are partly to blame for that as well,” noted Jaclyn Schmitz while McCollum asked, “How do you sleep at night knowing…you are responsible for the death of our 13 kids?”

As Harris herself had said in her statement, “If there is one thing on which we as Americans can all agree, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members should be honored, never disparaged, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude. And it is my belief that someone who cannot meet this simple, sacred duty should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America.”

Kevin Haggerty
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