In a Monday interview, the Gold Star father, who was removed and arrested during Thursday’s State of the Union address, offered a detailed account of the events leading up to his impassioned outburst directed at President Joe Biden.
Steve Nikoui, grieving father of U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, explained the tragic circumstances surrounding his son’s death in the summer of 2021 during Biden’s botched evacuation from Afghanistan.
Invited to the State of the Union as a special guest of Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, Nikoui found the experience emotionally challenging. Reflecting on the event, he remarked, “it was an awkward dynamic.”
“I wanted to go, but I also didn’t want to go,” the father continued. “And when I was there, seeing the theatrics, the circus… it just got to me.”
During Thursday’s address, when President Biden asserted that “America is safer today than when I took office,” Nikoui couldn’t ignore the stark reality of his son’s tragic fate.
Shouting his son’s name and questioning the president about the Abbey Gate incident, Nikoui peacefully exited the chamber at the Capitol police’s order, only to be subsequently arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. He was eventually freed early Friday morning.
Nikoui, deeply respectful of the presidency, recounted feeling offended during the 2022 State of the Union when Biden shifted from discussing Afghanistan to his son Beau and climate change.
Holding the Biden administration responsible for his son’s death, Nikoui pointed out the deviation from the withdrawal agreement crafted by former President Donald Trump, asserting that adherence to the plan would have saved his son’s life.
Despite his belief that Biden played a role in his son’s death, Nikoui expressed a commitment to forgiveness based on his religion.
Nevertheless, he advocates for accountability regarding what he perceives as serious errors in judgment by the administration, asserting that speaking up was essential, regardless of the misdemeanor charge he now faces.
“I don’t think I disrespected anyone. I don’t think I dishonored my son,” Nikoui stated with a poignant breath, struggling to maintain composure.
Kareem Nikoui, along with a dozen other American service members, lost their lives in a suicide attack at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
The swift takeover by the Taliban erased two decades of efforts to combat the extremist group, with the only distinction in 2021 being the Taliban’s access to a plethora of military equipment left behind by the Biden administration.
Nikoui’s arrest has elicited surprise and criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips expressed empathy, posting, “as a Gold Star Son myself, I can only imagine the pain he has felt since losing his son in Afghanistan.”
The post Gold Star Father Arrested For SOTU Outburst Speaks Out appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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