NBC’s Kristen Welker falsely reported that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were in attendance at the dignified transfer of U.S. troops killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas also took aim at Biden and Harris during the interview, accusing them of ignoring families who lost loved ones in Afghanistan.
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — where were they? Joe Biden was sitting at a beach. Kamala Harris was sitting at her mansion in Washington, D.C. She was four miles away — ten minutes. She could’ve gone to the cemetery and honored the sacrifice of those young men and women, but she hasn’t. She never has spoken to them or taken a meeting with them,” Cotton told Welker. “It is because of her and Joe Biden’s incompetence that those 13 Americans were killed in Afghanistan.”
“They did meet them during the dignified transfer. They were with them at the dignified transfer,” Welker interjected.
“On our broadcast this morning, we incorrectly implied that both President Biden and Vice President Harris attended the dignified transfer of 13 American service members killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal,” NBC wrote on their “Meet the Press” X account.
“Biden was in attendance but Harris was not,” the statement continued.
Three years on from the Afghanistan situation, former President Donald Trump was asked by Gold Star families and visited Arlington National Cemetery to attend a ceremony there on August 26, 2024.
Christy Shamblin, mother of U.S. Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, who was killed in the attack, said she “really” appreciated the event.
Shamblin said she also was “confident” a second Trump term would be “a good thing for veterans and their families.”
The families of the 13 service members who died have said they are frustrated and haven’t heard from either President Biden or Vice President Harris, despite their attempts to reach out.
“At least Biden sent us a form letter,” Shamblin added. “I think one of the most devastating parts of having the administration really just ignore this and not speak their names and speak to us, is that you start to feel like your loss is really in vain.”
