In a late-night Tuesday news dump, the Democrat Attorney General of the District of Columbia has decided to drop the misdemeanor charge against gold Star father Steve Nikoui for his outburst during the State of the Union address in early March.
Gold Star father Steve Nikoui is an honorable man who has suffered the most unimaginable loss for our country. Steve and his family are from the city of Norco, which I represent. I am glad that the US attorneys office made the right call. Steve deserves our heartfelt thanks and… https://t.co/eNJfJRWgL3
— Bill Essayli (@billessayli) March 20, 2024
Brian Schwalb, the Democratic attorney general in Washington, D.C., has dropped charges against Gold Star father Steve Nikoui for disrupting Congress during President Biden’s State of the Union speech earlier this month.
Nikoui is the father of Kareem Nikoui who was killed during the Biden Administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Fox News learned of the decision Tuesday evening. The decision to drop the charges was confirmed by the Speaker’s Office.
The DC AG’s office told Fox News that it decided not to prosecute in this case just as they have in the cases of protesters in the past.
You mean like the J6 Defendants? Oh, right, that wasn’t a protest; it was an insurrection — despite the fact that not one of the charges lodged against them include this word. But, I digress….
With hearings happening this week on the Biden administration’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal, we know what this is all about: optics. Nikoui has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration since his son Kareem was killed during the chaotic withdrawal in August 2021. Other Gold Star families have also been vocal about the disregard given to their obvious pain and their need for answers. Mother Christy Shamblin went on CNN and outed the Biden White House for their inability to return phone calls.
CNN anchor left STUNNED when gold star mom says that Biden has NEVER reached out to her family about her daughter-in-law’s death.
CNN: “He’s often called the ‘Consoler in Chief.’ He does talk to families who’ve lost loved ones…Have you experienced that from him?”
Christy… pic.twitter.com/apPQiMyMSd
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 7, 2024
CNN anchor left STUNNED when gold star mom says that Biden has NEVER reached out to her family about her daughter-in-law’s death.
CNN: “He’s often called the ‘Consoler in Chief.’ He does talk to families who’ve lost loved ones…Have you experienced that from him?”
Christy Shamblin: “No.”
CNN: “Have you spoken to him?”
Christy Shamblin: “No. He’s not reached out to our family. We’ve actually reached out to the White House and have never heard back. We asked to meet with them…We’ve not received a response. It’s been months.”
CNN: “Sorry to hear that.”
The “Consoler in Chief” is more like the “Ghoster in Chief.” In September 2023, many of the Gold Star families testified before Congress and demanded answers — like Kelly Barnett and Darin Hoover, who lost their son Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover.
“I’m looking for someone to step up and say we messed up, this is where we messed up, this is not going to happen again, we’re going to look at it and change things up,” Darin said.
He and Kelly feel they never got clear answers as to what happened to their son that day.
“First off, they told me my son died on impact, which is completely 100 percent false. He did live for a little while. I know now because of witnesses who were there,” Kelly told CNN.
“I’m a whole lot more angry with all the information that we’ve been getting from not only the guys that were on the ground there, and Taylor’s guys that were with him. Then just all the lies coming out of the Pentagon: from the Department of Defense, from the State Department, from the administration, from the Marine Corps,” Darin said.
With this week’s hearings, Shamblin, Barnett, Hoover, Nikoui, and other Gold Star families are finally getting some redress.
After his outburst, Nikoui was escorted from the Capitol chambers and later arrested. He had to pay $50 bail and faced the possibility of a $500 fine, 90 days in jail, or both. Republican lawmakers aligned with Nikoui and called for the charges to be dropped. House members like Darrell Issa (R-CA) alluded that Biden already had blood on his hands because of the failed Afghanistan withdrawal and family members have every right to be angry. Issa said in a statement:
Since August 2021, the Gold Star families have not only endured the loss of loved ones but also the absence of any true accountability.
Despite numerous requests to meet with President Biden at any time and any location of his choosing, he has ignored them all. He has refused to even reply. To this day, he has never once publicly spoken the names of the fallen.
The families have been denied the personal possessions of their loved ones. They have been denied their rightful access to military bases as clearly allowed by law. And they’ve been denied any kind of complete accounting of the events of that day. Biden has never made this right.
With the families in attendance, the President could have changed course, promised to deliver accountability as a Commander-in-Chief should, and pledged to work to ensure it never happens again.
He said nothing. But we will never be silent. This isn’t over.
Despite it being all about shielding the Biden administration from further reputational damage, it is a fortunate thing that Steve Nikoui does not have to experience further pain with an ill-conceived trial.
