Republican calls out 'despicable' media coverage of Trump Arlington visit, Afghanistan withdrawal
Sen. Markwayne Mullin said the Afghanistan withdrawal is a 'black eye' for the Biden administration
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., tore into the left-wing media on Tuesday over their coverage of former President Trump's recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the Biden administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
During an appearance on "Fox & Friends," Mullin, who noted he was "intimately involved" in getting Americans out of Afghanistan, said Trump has been "nothing but supportive" since day one.
"[The Biden administration] knows that this is such a black eye, they want nothing to do with it. They will do everything to take news away from it, and what is despicable and disgusting is this left-wing media covers for them constantly and instead of praising President Trump for being there and honoring these 12 soldiers, they started making a big deal about it and a big show about it and saying how it was disrespectful it was," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trump joined Gold Star families at the national cemetery in Virginia last Monday for a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the 13 service members who were killed during the terrorist attack at Abbey Gate outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021.
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump stands alongside Bill Barnett (L), whose grandson Staff Sgt Darin Taylor Hoover died in the Abbey Gate Bombing, during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024, in Arlington, Virginia. (Getty Images)
Mullin insisted that it is not disrespectful for anyone to honor fallen soldiers or to bring up memories of the sacrifice thousands of Americans paid in Afghanistan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The families of the 13 service members have said they have yet to hear from Biden or Harris despite having made attempts to reach out to the administration. They have also defended Trump's attendance.
"What is despicable and disgusting is that we have a president and a vice president that doesn't even want to acknowledge it because their disastrous withdrawal, which cost thousands and thousands of people their lives and is still costing lives today," Mullin continued.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday and criticized President Biden and Harris for ignoring the families of the fallen soldiers.
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Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., criticized the left-wing media and suggested they are covering for the Biden administration regarding the Afghanistan withdrawal. (Fox News)
During the exchange, NBC's Kristen Welker claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris was in attendance at the dignified transfer of U.S. troops killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
NBC posted a correction on the show's X account after the show.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"On our broadcast this morning, we incorrectly implied that both President Biden and Vice President Harris attended the dignified transfer of 13 American service members killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal," NBC wrote on their "Meet the Press" X account.
"Biden was in attendance but Harris was not," the statement continued.