Gold Star mom Jaclyn Schmitz expressed her frustration with the Biden-Harris administration for declining her and other Gold Star parents' invitation to honor their deceased children at a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.
"It's just another spit in the face," Schmitz said. "Another slap in the face. I'm absolutely so frustrated with this administration. First, they don't even acknowledge that our kids even died on their watch. Then to spit in our face and say that Donald Trump was politicizing this when it was us, the families, that had invited him."
Schmitz was referring to Trump's visit to Arlington Cemetery, where he honored 13 service members who died in a terrorist attack during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The 13 service members were killed during a terrorist attack at Abbey Gate outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021.
Schmitz also criticized media reports that a Trump campaign photographer had recorded footage in a restricted area that prohibits political activity, with the U.S. Army adding that a cemetery staffer had been "abruptly pushed aside" during the event.
"We were all absolutely just pissed off," Schmitz said of hearing about the controversy around Trump's visit.
"In fact, the White House and Biden and Harris were invited as well, they just chose not to be there," she added.
Schmitz said that she has never been contacted by either Biden or Harris since assuming office.
"We have never heard from either one of them," Schmitz said. "Ever. In the entire three years since our kids were killed by their administration. And what he said during the debate was even more of a gut punch."
"That nobody, that no service member had died during his presidency," she said.
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