A Gold Star mother has revealed the truth about former President Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery to memorialize 13 service members who died in a terrorist attack during the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Kelly Barnett, whose son, Marine Staff Sergeant Taylor Huber, was killed in an ISIS-K attack in 2021, explained that both President Biden and Vice President Harris had been invited to attend but did not show up during the “America's Newsroom” broadcast.
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“I did not personally invite her or him. Governor Cox of Utah [Biden] In the letters, I informed them about the celebrations and ceremonies we were celebrating. [and] “I told him it was good to have him there,” Burnett told co-host Bill Hemmer on Tuesday.
“Also, they left without any response from either side because Arlington Cemetery had informed them about the ceremony. So they knew about the ceremony. They knew it was in their interest to be there, so they refused to attend,” she continued.
Last Monday, President Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Cemetery in Virginia, along with family members of Gold Star recipients, to commemorate the 13 service members killed in the terrorist attack that took place on August 26, 2021, at Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
Barnett said she and other family members felt they should invite the former president because of the support he had given them throughout the grieving process. The family members also approved having a photographer from the Trump campaign document the ceremony, Fox News previously reported.
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – AUGUST 26: Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump stands alongside his grandson, Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, Bill Barnett (L), whose grandson was killed in the Abbey Gate bombing, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024 in Arlington, Virginia. (Getty Images)
Following the incident, media outlets including NPR and the Associated Press reported that the cameraman had been shooting footage in a restricted area where political activity is prohibited, with the US Army adding that cemetery staff were “suddenly pushed away” during the incident.
“Participants in the August 26 ceremony and subsequent Section 60 visit were aware of federal law, Army regulations and Department of Defence policy which expressly prohibit political activity on cemetery grounds. ANC personnel who attempted to enforce compliance with these regulations were abruptly shoved aside,” the army said in a statement.
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Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chang said the staffer who blocked the photographer appeared to have a “mental illness” and said the campaign had been approved to bring the photographer.
“The facts are that a private photographer was allowed on the grounds and, for some reason, an anonymous individual who was clearly suffering from a mental illness decided to physically disrupt a member of President Trump's team in the middle of a very solemn ceremony,” he said.
Ms Barnett disputed the reports, claiming she saw nothing relating to the altercation and described it as a “quiet and peaceful” day to remember her son and the others who died.
“It was very polite, quiet and peaceful, as it always is in Arlington,” Barnett said. “People were whispering. We were talking… Donald Trump was near me. We were talking about Taylor, about this beautiful day, about how grateful we were that he was there. I didn't hear anything. I don't know where this happened or why.”
“We didn't hear anything else that day, until the next day, when it was reported on NPR,” she continued.
Harris attacked Trump over his visit to Arlington on Saturday, accusing him of “politicizing” fallen service members.
“As Vice President, I have had the opportunity to visit Arlington National Cemetery several times. It is a solemn place, a place where we gather to honor American heroes who have made the supreme sacrifice for our country,” she wrote. “It is not a place for politics. However, as reported this week, Donald Trump's team chose to hold a video shoot there, which led to an altercation with cemetery officials. Let me be clear: the former president desecrated hallowed grounds for political stunts.”
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In response, the families of the 13 service members killed in action released an ad slamming the Biden-Harris administration for its response to the deaths.
They criticized both the president and vice president for never picking up their phone calls and for never mentioning the name of a service member who died three years ago.
“We've been so disrespected for the last three years. It's been three years and we've had no response from them,” Barnett said. “There was no 'I'm sorry,' there was no 'We stand with you, we know this was a mistake, we know we were misguided,' because in war mistakes are made. This wasn't supposed to be a war, but it was. It was important to let Donald Trump know. He was there to support us, to give us some comfort, to carry the grief with us for a little while.”
“It makes no sense for them to throw daggers at us. It makes no sense for them to throw daggers at him. The fact that they weren't there and that they felt embarrassed or [they] I was angry that he was with us,” she continued.
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.
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