On Tuesday, Washington DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) decided to drop the charges brought against Gold Star father Steve Nikoui after his outburst during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address earlier this month. The office reportedly decided to drop the charges after being pressured by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) because previous protestors who interrupted State of the Union addresses have not been prosecuted.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who invited Nikoui to the address, told Fox Business, "The Speaker's office has been able to intervene successfully and make sure that the charges are dropped."
During the State of the Union address on March 7, Nikoui, the father of Lance Cpl Kareem Nikoui, yelled out from the balcony, "Abbey Gate!" and "United States Marines" when Biden claimed that "America is safer today than when I took office." Nikoui's son was one of the 13 brave American military personnel who died at the Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport during the withdrawal of US forces on August 26, 2021.
The outburst, which didn't seem to faze Biden, led to the Gold Star father being arrested by Capitol Police, with the authorities telling Axios, "Tonight at approximately 10:15 PM, a man disrupted the State of the Union Address by yelling. Our officers warned him to stop, and when he did not, the man was removed from the House Galleries and was arrested." The Capitol authorities charged Nikoui with a misdemeanor of "crowding, obstructing or incommoding" for attempting to protest in an unlawful location. The charges carry a fine of $500 and up to 90 days in prison.
Critics of the arrest quickly condemned the Capitol Police's actions, with Rep. Mast explaining, "The Sergeant at Arms is holding my State of the Union guest for yelling at [the president] in protest because his son was killed in action at the Abbey Gate due to Biden's incompetence. So much for the right to petition our government for the redress of grievances."
The Florida congressmen explained in a previous post to X that he invited the father of the fallen Marine to remind "President Biden of the damage he has done to national security and American families." Nikoui was later released by the Capitol Police and reunited with other Gold Star families who watched from a nearby restaurant.
Thanks to efforts from Speaker Johnson, the Gold Star father had the charges brought against him dropped, but that didn't change the lack of consequences that the Biden administration has faced for the botched withdrawal that led to 13 slain service members. The stain of failure lives on over two years after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, given that there have been no military personnel who have been substantially held accountable for the botched withdrawal on that day, and yet Nikoui was the one charged with a crime.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who invited Nikoui to the address, told Fox Business, "The Speaker's office has been able to intervene successfully and make sure that the charges are dropped."
During the State of the Union address on March 7, Nikoui, the father of Lance Cpl Kareem Nikoui, yelled out from the balcony, "Abbey Gate!" and "United States Marines" when Biden claimed that "America is safer today than when I took office." Nikoui's son was one of the 13 brave American military personnel who died at the Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport during the withdrawal of US forces on August 26, 2021.
The outburst, which didn't seem to faze Biden, led to the Gold Star father being arrested by Capitol Police, with the authorities telling Axios, "Tonight at approximately 10:15 PM, a man disrupted the State of the Union Address by yelling. Our officers warned him to stop, and when he did not, the man was removed from the House Galleries and was arrested." The Capitol authorities charged Nikoui with a misdemeanor of "crowding, obstructing or incommoding" for attempting to protest in an unlawful location. The charges carry a fine of $500 and up to 90 days in prison.
Critics of the arrest quickly condemned the Capitol Police's actions, with Rep. Mast explaining, "The Sergeant at Arms is holding my State of the Union guest for yelling at [the president] in protest because his son was killed in action at the Abbey Gate due to Biden's incompetence. So much for the right to petition our government for the redress of grievances."
The Florida congressmen explained in a previous post to X that he invited the father of the fallen Marine to remind "President Biden of the damage he has done to national security and American families." Nikoui was later released by the Capitol Police and reunited with other Gold Star families who watched from a nearby restaurant.
Thanks to efforts from Speaker Johnson, the Gold Star father had the charges brought against him dropped, but that didn't change the lack of consequences that the Biden administration has faced for the botched withdrawal that led to 13 slain service members. The stain of failure lives on over two years after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, given that there have been no military personnel who have been substantially held accountable for the botched withdrawal on that day, and yet Nikoui was the one charged with a crime.
WATCH:
Gold Star father Steve Nikoui should’ve never had to pay for Joe Biden’s failed withdrawal.
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) March 20, 2024
All charges were dropped, thanks to the intervention from @SpeakerJohnson. pic.twitter.com/FY6fL5hqTr
🚨🇺🇸 STEVE NIKOUI ARRESTED FOR INTERRUPTING
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 8, 2024
Steve Nikoui was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for interrupting Biden.
He shouted "Abbey Gate" and "UNITED STATES MARINES".pic.twitter.com/ECfdQDmCRG
You can follow Sterling on X/Twitter here.WATCH: Steve Nikoui’s fellow Gold Star Families give him a hero’s welcome after he is freed from his completely deranged arrest by @CapitolPolice ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ https://t.co/uLSjSwmpQA pic.twitter.com/MFdlrmSMfC
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) March 8, 2024
- Article Source:
DC Enquirer
- Photo: X/@AlecLace + Getty Images
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