Kamala says she will always 'honor America’s fallen heroes' — Gold Star families of Afghanistan withdrawal say she hasn't spoken to them once

Kamala Harris took aim at Donald Trump on Saturday for him taking pictures with the Gold Star families of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal earlier this week and added that she "will always honor the service and sacrifice of all of America’s fallen heroes." The families have said that she has never spoken to them once.

When The Post Millennial spoke to the parents of deceased military members Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, Sgt. Nicole Gee, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, they and others close to the families told TPM that Harris has never once spoken to them personally or reached out. Fox News also reported that the families have all said the same: that Harris has "never once reached out" to them.

Harris posted on X, saying that she has had the "privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times," adding that "Donald Trump’s team chose to film a video there" and alleged that it resulted "in an altercation with cemetery staff," a reported incident that multiple Gold Star family members that were there have said they did not witness.



Harris alleged that "the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt." Although Trump's team helped to take the pictures, the families have said that Trump and his team were invited to do so. Cheryl Juels and Christy Shamblin made it a point to take photos in Section 60 where the grave site was for Ryan Knauss, as his parents were not able to be there that day. Section 60 is the resting place that is largely designated for deceased veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. 

NPR initially reported, based on one anonymous source, that members of Trump's team had a "verbal and physical altercation" on Monday with an official at Arlington National Cemetery when she attempted to stop the Trump team from going into Section 60 of the cemetery. The US Army released a statement about the alleged incident on Thursday.

"Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds," the statement said. "An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside."

The families who were going to Arlington, in conversations with The Post Millennial, said that even though there was back and forth in the lead-up to the event, they had received permission in order to allow Trump to be there and for his designated media team to take photos.