Thread by @henryrodgersdc

SCOOP: Gold Star Families Had Trouble Getting Trump Into Arlington Until House Speaker Intervened

Read all about it here first for @DailyCaller:

dailycaller.com/2024/08/28/exc…

“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,” @RepMcCaul told the @DailyCaller

“This administration absolutely interfered with the tributes to the 13 fallen. In its war on Trump, it made the Gold Star families collateral damage,” @DarrellIssa told the @DailyCaller

“Our office worked with Arlington National Cemetery to move the time of the event, to a time that would accommodate the attendance of President Trump. That was done as a request by the families to this office, as they were not receiving that assistance from Arlington National Cemetery,” two sources close to the discussions told the @DailyCaller

Another source familiar with the conversations between the Gold Star families and Arlington National Cemetery said that after Johnson’s phone call, the entire situation changed.

“The Speaker of the House had to get involved. Reps Issa, Mast, and Chairman Mike McCaul were instrumental in assisting in the Gold Star families. 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 continued. “This would have not happened without Speaker Johnson.”

The White House referred the Caller to Arlington National Cemetery, saying: "this is a matter between the Arlington National Cemetery and the Trump campaign, not a White House matter."

Arlington National Cemetery did not respond to multiple inquires from @DailyCaller via phone and email.

Gold Star parent Darin Hoover told the @DailyCaller in an emotional phone call that he and other Gold Star family members were the ones who called Trump and asked for him to show up and criticized the Biden administration for not contacting them for the past three years.

“We, WE extended the invitation to President Trump. 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,” Gold Star parent Darin Hoover told @DailyCaller