Gold star parent Kelly Barnett told Newsmax on Thursday that former President Donald Trump and his team were nothing but respectful during a ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery on Monday honoring 13 service members who were killed in the terrorist bombing during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Barnett’s son, Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, 31, was the oldest of the 13 U.S. service members who were killed by a suicide bomber at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021. The blast also killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and injured more than 150 others.
She brushed aside multiple media reports that two members of Trump's campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation with an official at the cemetery.
"We heard nothing," she told "Rob Schmitt Tonight." "Everything went so smooth. Trump's team was completely respectful. The Arlington staff was completely respectful."
She also commented on criticism that Trump was using the event for political purposes. Trump said during a rally in Michigan on Thursday that he was invited to the event by three Gold Star families and by a service member who was severely injured.
"This year, I reached out to him," Barnett said. "My dad [Bill Barnett] is 80 years old. He has a deep respect for Trump. My son had a deep respect for Trump. I said, 'oh, this would be great. This is [for] my dad.' He said that this is probably his last time to be able to travel there. I wanted him to lay the wreath, and I said this would be a great opportunity. It would be great for our family to have this memory.
"It was not political whatsoever. [Trump] was asking me about Taylor, talking about the family, how we were doing. We would talk about how we felt that day, and it was a beautiful day. Then it was a joyous day. He told me not to cry, that this was happy, that Taylor was happy. And it was a good day. Nothing political. They're throwing daggers at us Gold Star parents. We've already been through so much. Can't they just stay in their lane and mind their business? This had nothing to do with politics whatsoever."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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