Gold Star father praises GOP lawmakers after DC AG drops charges
Steve Nikoui speaks out on 'Hannity' after D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb drops charges stemming from State of the Union outburst.
Gold Star parent Steve Nikoui, the father of LCpl. Kareem Nikoui — who was killed in a suicide bombing attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport amid President Biden's Afghanistan pullout — reacted after charges against him for a State of the Union outburst were dropped.
Nikoui told Fox News on Thursday he was prepared to face consequences for shouting "Abbey Gate" as well as his son's name and rank at Biden during his annual address, but was grateful to hear D.C. Democratic Attorney General Brian Schwalb dropped charges Tuesday.
"Hannity" host Sean Hannity quipped "the authorities in D.C. have come to their senses" as he reported on Schwalb's decision.
"I am really relieved. It was a lot of pressure," Nikoui told Hannity. "I was scared, but I was ready to do whatever I had to do, you know, for my actions."
Steve Nikoui shouts during SOTU (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty)
After Nikoui, a guest of Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., shouted during the State of the Union, Capitol Police swiftly ushered him off the House chamber's balcony and charged him with "crowding obstructing or incommoding."
Nikoui thanked Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. — who appeared with him on-air — for his support in the interim, saying the lawmaker pledged to take care of him throughout the ordeal.
He also praised Florida Republican Reps. Cory Mills and Mike Waltz, as well as Mast for standing by him as his planned March 28 court date drew near. Issa added Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., was supportive of Nikoui and sponsored a post office re-dedication in honor of the fallen Marine in his hometown.
At least one Democrat, former presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, came to Nikoui's defense, writing on X, formerly Twitter, that while no one should interrupt Congress, he understands the Gold Star parent's pain and that if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wouldn't be arrested for heckling Biden, neither should Nikoui.
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The Gold Star father also revealed details from a roundtable meeting with former Joint Chiefs Chairman Ret. Gen. Mark Milley and other "Abbey Gate" parents.
Nikoui said Milley came across as "empathetic and understanding" of his and the other families' grief, adding he respected that the general "look[ed] us in the eyes as we were able to tell him some pretty disheartening information about our families."
"And he was committed to helping us get the facts and the answers that we need," Nikoui added.
He pledged to also hold Milley accountable for that promise going forward. Milley and recently-departed CENTCOM commander Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
During the hearing, McKenzie testified that, "I was the overall commander, and I and I alone bear full military responsibility for what happened at Abbey Gate."