The heckler who yelled at President Biden during Thursday night’s State of the Union address was identified as the father of a fallen Marine and was later arrested for disorder.
Mr. Biden, 81, was in the middle of saying, “America is safer now than it was when I took office,” but he was interrupted from speaking from the balcony of the chamber.
“Monastery gates!” Steve Nikoi yelled at the president. “First Marines, Second Battalion!”
Capitol Police removed Nikoui, 51, from the chamber and took him into custody around 10:15 p.m.
He was charged with crowding, obstructing or inconveniencing Congress, a misdemeanor offense in which violators are typically released after paying a $50 fine.
Nikoi’s son, Lance Corporal. Kareem Nikoi was killed by a suicide bomber outside Kabul International Airport in August 2021 as the Biden administration was trying to process evacuees from the failed Afghanistan withdrawal.
Twelve other U.S. military personnel were also killed in the explosion.
Two other Gold Star fathers told the Post in interviews before Biden’s speech that they should expect tough words from the president about the disaster.
“There are other people who confirmed that Mr. Biden knew very well the information that Afghanistan was going to collapse,” said Mark Schmitz, Lance Corporal’s father. Jared Schmitz called the withdrawal “an absolutely epic fiasco.”
“There’s going to be a lot of heckling tonight,” he added.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) told the Post that his request for private meetings with several Gold Star families at the White House was declined.
Follow The Post’s coverage of Joe Biden’s pivotal State of the Union address as he faces re-election.
According to opinion polls, Biden’s approval rating has plummeted since August 2021 and has never returned to net positive.
Two federal reports subsequently condemned the regime’s “sudden and disorderly” withdrawal, giving local residents the impression that the United States “simply handed over Afghanistan to a Taliban regime in waiting.”
But for Gold Star families, the report unfortunately failed to identify responsibility for their loved one’s death.
“Sneaky. I’m not holding my breath. [it]” Schmitz said.
“He didn’t care. And he left all the ammunition behind in Bagram. [Airfield]” he added, referring to the $7 billion worth of U.S. military equipment that was still in Afghanistan when the Taliban occupied the country.
“They have the right to say, ‘Where’s the explanation for that?'” Issa said of Gold Star families. “Where’s that apology? Where’s the legitimate investigation to make sure this doesn’t happen to someone else’s family?”
“That’s why we’re honored to have them here. That’s why we want them in the audience,” he said, adding, “By a miracle, [Biden] They say they feel at least half full. ”
The president did not mention withdrawing from Afghanistan at any point during his 68-minute speech.
