The fathers of two Gold Star service members killed in the Afghanistan withdrawal criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden on Tuesday. They accused them of "gaslighting" families and ignoring them for three years.
Harris faced backlash after slamming former President Donald Trump for filming videos at the third-anniversary event at Arlington Cemetery. Gold Star father Darin Hoover, whose son Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover was killed, called out Harris on Fox Business. He said she took away the “memories” of fallen service members and stated there’s “no need for it.”
“Well, first of all, let me be clear, that solemn event was a day that has been three years in the coming. And for her to take away... those memories from us... is nothing short of disgusting," Hoover said. "All it was, was gaslighting all of us that were there that day.”
Hoover continued, mentioning that Sergeant Nicole Gee’s family and Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss’ parents were also involved. He said they were unaware of anything until a hit piece from NPR surfaced. “It’s despicable what she has done, and there’s absolutely no need for it,” he added.
Mark Schmitz, the Gold Star father of Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, also criticized the administration. He said the families have been "ignored" for the past three years. “Well, that’s all we’ve gotten for the last three years — a slap in the face, salt in the wound, ignored,” Schmitz stated.
He shared that a letter was sent by Darin Hoover’s governor, Cox, to the White House, inviting the administration to the event. According to Schmitz, it was met with silence. "Trump responded... and showed up. And good for him,” Schmitz said.
Schmitz also stated that the families have been “fair” to Biden’s administration but still received no answers. He said they had tried to reach out to both Harris and Biden, only to be ignored. “They just ignore us, they literally walk the other direction,” he said.
Eight of the Gold Star families recorded a video addressing Harris, explaining they had invited Trump. Reports later claimed a cemetery official attempted to stop Trump's staff from filming, leading to an alleged altercation, which NPR reported.
However, the Trump campaign denied the altercation. Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard confirmed that the campaign had been “approved to bring a camera to document” the event.