EXCLUSIVE: Washington Post plans story targeting organizer of Trump Arlington visit, Gold Star families stand by him

According to sources close to the families and correspondence reviewed by TPM, the Washington Post is planning on releasing the hit piece that will paint the Arlington Cemetery visit as a "publicity stunt" coordinated by a man named Marlon Bateman.

TPM was able to speak to Gold Star family members Christy Shamblin, Darin Hoover, Cheryl Juels, Alicia Lopez, Steven Nikoui, Mark Schmitz, and Jim McCollum. Each refuted the claim that Bateman told the families that they could do a “publicity stunt” in order to raise more money. Several disputed the claims put forward by Chappell that the group of Gold Star family members had become too political, especially related to the Arlington ceremony for deceased soldiers Sgt. Nicole Gee, Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss.

Accusations against Bateman have come from one Gold Star mother and were related to a Zoom call in 2023 between the family members of the 13 deceased soldiers who lost their lives at Abbey Gate. However, the mother in question became estranged from the group of Gold Star family members due to her divisive behavior, according to multiple family members who were in attendance on the call.

Email with questions from Post reporter Dan Lamothe sent to Gold Star family members

Questions for the story from Post reporters Dan Lamothe and Isaac Arnsworth were obtained by TPM. One reporter with the outlet said that Shana Chappell, a previous partner of Gold Star father Steve Nikoui and mother of deceased Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, alleged to the outlet that in the 2023 Zoom call, "Marlon told the families that staging a publicity stunt could be helpful to the families in bringing attention back to the Abbey Gate disaster and raising money that you all could use as you traveled to hearings and continued your advocacy.”

Message from Post reporter Isaac Arnsworth sent to Gold Star family member

Chappell also alleged that she raised concerns about the group of Gold Star families with Bateman becoming “too political” for her liking and that linking Kareem’s name to a political advocacy was an issue for her. This is despite social media posts from before the meeting showing Chappell flying an “F*ck Joe Biden” flag on a truck with a vehicle wrap of her son’s face as well as other political posts, many in favor of Trump with mention of her son’s name.

The December 2023 Zoom call with Bateman was about creating expectations for each other as a group formed to get more answers and raise awareness regarding the deaths of their children. Expectations included measures such as not bad-mouthing each other publicly, Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of deceased Sgt. Nicole Gee told TPM. Multiple Gold Star family members said after the Zoom call, Chappell was no longer in the group for being too toxic in her relationships and motivations.

In an email sent to the Post, Schmitz responded to five questions similar to the six found in the email from Lamothe. A copy of these responses were obtained by TPM:

Email sent to Washington Post reporters from Mark Schmitz

Nikoui told TPM about Chappell’s past activities after he had been asked similar questions, “First of all, you know, she was an outright Trump supporter at the very beginning, and a lot of the parents, me included, felt like that's not going to help us in any way, shape or form.” He expressed that several Gold Star family members wanted to be neutral politically but were then more warm to Trump after becoming stone-walled by the Biden-Harris administration. He added that Chappell’s “only complaint was that she wasn't involved in the Trump activities.”

In regard to allegations that he and others were too politically motivated, Nikoui stated, “You know, the [Biden-Harris] administration, in my eyes, kills my kid. The administration wants to suppress my kid’s death. The administration wants to refuse me, right? And then one of the prior presidents, had it been Bush, I would have gone.” He then said that he was invited by Trump to Bedminster, as an example of an event with Trump, and asked rhetorically, “Am I not supposed to go?”

When Hoover spoke to TPM, he said that on the Zoom call, Chappell was not in the group afterward due to the amount of division that ensued, not really due to her politics, but as a result of her behavior towards others in the group.

Hoover added, “We're out here pushing hard for legislation to get things changed so that we can get accountability from both the DoD and the State Department.” He added that the only way the Arlington visit "became political was thanks to the army['s]” response.

Lopez, the mother of deceased Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez, told TPM about the piece attacking Bateman, "I don't usually get involved, but when you're trying to criticize someone that's helping my family to get answers on what happened to my son, that's kind of where I find the need to have to step up."

Juels told the Post reporter that in the families’ pursuit of trying to get answers about the deaths of the 13 soldiers, it did not start out political, adding that “the only president who has reached out to us over and over again has been former President Trump. President Biden and VP Harris have never said their names, never demanded accountability, and have never even said they were sorry, and the media has never asked for answers as well.”

Father of Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Jim McCollum, told TPM that the Post asked about some allegations from Chappell. He dismissed them and added, “It's my understanding that Marlon is being unjustly attacked. My interactions and conversations with Marlon have been those of a true professional and someone I now consider to be a friend.”

Rep. Darrell Issa, (R-CA) who has worked with the families to help them advance their message, made a statement to TPM in response to the planned piece from the Post: “Marlon Bateman is a hero of this story. And that Marine is a warrior for the Gold Star families. From day one, he has volunteered his time and energy and poured his heart and soul into this cause. That these families who have lost so much have begun to gain a measure of accountability is due in no small measure to the tireless work of Marlon Bateman.”

Bateman served the country in Iraq and was in the battalion many of the 13 deceased soldiers later served in after Bateman stopped his military service, Hoover told TPM.