Steve Nikoui, father of a deceased U.S. Marine who disrupted President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech. California Republican Rep. Darrell I
California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa on Tuesday urged the U.S. Capitol Police to drop the charges against a distraught father of a deceased U.S. Marine who disrupted President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech.
Issa announced Tuesday that Nikoui would not be prosecuted in the incident. “BREAKING: All charges against Gold Star parent Steve Nikoui have been dropped,” Issa said in a post on X. “He did not do anything wrong. And this is the right decision.”
Steve Nikoui was hauled out of the House gallery two weeks ago and later charged with crowding, obstructing, or incommoding Congress after he yelled “Abbey Gate! Kareem Nikoui! Second Battalion, First Marines!” at Biden.
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Nikoui’s son, Kareem, was one of 13 troops killed in a terrorist attack during Biden‘s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Issa, in a letter Tuesday to USCP Chief Thomas Manger, said Nikoui “has endured the unimaginable loss of his son” in Afghanistan and then a year later suffered “an additional heartbreaking loss” when Kareem’s brother killed himself just before the anniversary of the terrorist attack.
Issa said he had gotten to know Steve in recent months and called him a “man of kindness and integrity” who is “driven by an unwavering love of country and a deep commitment to honoring the memory of his son and other fallen members of Abbey Gate.”
The lawmaker noted that Steve’s arrest for “emotionally expressing his grief” highlights a “profound disconnect” between the sacrifices of the troops and the respect they deserve.
Other family members have complained that Biden has insufficiently acknowledged his debacle in Kabul, failed to recognize their losses, or accepted accountability for their deaths.
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In August 2021, Biden, who ran on his alleged compassion and on restoring decency to the White House, infamously looked at his watch as though bored as the troops’ bodies were being offloaded from a military transport during the “dignified transfer” of the remains.
In his letter, Issa added, “What Mr. Nikoui voiced out loud was a cry for the acknowledgment of the loss endured by the families of the 13 who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.”
The GOP lawmaker encouraged Manger to review the case in light of Steve’s “profound loss” and the fact that he faces “disproportionate punishment” for others who likewise disrupted the SOTU.
In 2020, left-wing anti-gun activist Fred Guttenberg was escorted out of the speech but not arrested, as former President Donald Trump talked about gun owners’ rights. Guttenberg’s daughter was one of 17 people murdered at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in February 2018 in Parkland, Florida.
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“I implore you to review this situation carefully,” Issa wrote. “I am confident you will find him [Steve] to be an upstanding citizen filled with love for his nation, integrity, and honor.”
“You have the authority not to proceed in this matter,” Issa added. “I hope you will decide to drop the charges against Mr. Nikoui.”
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