Gold Star father arrested for protesting Biden during SOTU
Senior congressional candidate Chad Pergram reports the latest on disruptions during Biden's State of the Union.
A Gold Star father who shouted out criticisms at President Biden during the State of the Union address has been arrested.
Steve Nikoui, 51, is the father of a U.S. Marine who was killed during the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Nikoui was escorted out of the House Galleries during Biden's speech Thursday after he stood up and began yelling "Abbey Gate" repeatedly.
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Gold Star father Steve Nikoui shouts at President Biden from the House Galleries as he delivers his State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The heckling was a reference to an attack at the Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan that occurred during the military's withdrawal from the country.
The surprise attack killed 13 U.S. service members and injured at least 170 civilians — including Nikoui's son, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui.
President Biden delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Nikoui was confronted by security during his outburst, who demanded he stop. He refused and continued shouting.
He was removed from the House Galleries and arrested by Capitol Police on the misdemeanor charge of Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding.
Vice President Harris and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson watch as President Biden speaks during his State of the Union address at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Nikoui was in attendance as a guest of Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., who released a statement explaining his choice to bring the Gold Star father to the Capitol.
"By inviting Steve to join the State of the Union, I am reminding President Biden of the damage he has done to national security and American families," Mast wrote ahead of the State of the Union address.
Mast is the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Accountability and Oversight.
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