When Arlington National Cemetery Denied Trump Joining Gold Star Families, Mike Johnson Stepped In: Report

When Arlington National Cemetery reportedly told Gold Star families whose children were killed in the disastrous 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan that former President Donald Trump could not accompany them to mark the third anniversary of their children’s deaths, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) stepped in.

Gold Star parents Darin Hoover and Kelly Barnett, the parents of SSGT Taylor Hoover, one of the 13 servicemembers killed at Abbey Gate in Kabul, contacted Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and informed him that the cemetery had given the families a specific time to honor their children, but it did not work for all of them, and in addition told the families that Trump could not accompany them, The Daily Caller reported.

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McCaul then contacted Johnson. McCaul recalled, “When Darin and Kelly contacted me, I was furious to hear their request to have President Trump join them to commemorate the anniversary of Taylor’s death was being stymied, along with several of the other family members of U.S. servicemembers killed at Abbey Gate. I immediately asked what I could do to help and reached out to Speaker Johnson to see what he could do. Thankfully, Speaker Johnson and his team acted quickly and were able to get the situation resolved. But something like this should never have happened. Gold Star families have already suffered enough.”

“The Speaker of the House had to get involved. Reps [Darrell] Issa (R-CA), [Brian] Mast (R-FL), and Chairman Mike McCaul were instrumental in assisting in the Gold Star families,” another source told the Caller. “After the Speaker’s call, the situation shifted significantly. It was only three days before the ceremonies, and Arlington National Cemetery waited until the last minute to confirm key components of the event with the families.”

“Arlington Cemetery officials claimed the families didn’t want any media, photography, or videography at Section 60, contradicting what the families had actually requested. The families were fine with the media, designated by the Trump team, but Arlington kept pushing back, obstructing the process,” the source added. “This would have not happened without Speaker Johnson.”

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“We, WE extended the invitation to President Trump,” Darin Hoover stated. “We are the ones that asked him to come. We are the ones that asked him to assist in laying a wreath for our son, and for the shooting for, Sergeant Canals and for Cole. We’re the ones that asked that. President Trump didn’t come to us. His team didn’t come to us and say, hey, this would be good for business. Business? No. President Trump has stood by us from day one. He has been compassionate. He has been loving. He’s been understanding. He’s taking the mantle of our outrage a little bit. Because to be quite honest with you, being very frank, we haven’t heard diddly squat from the current administration in three years.”