Steve Nikoui, the Gold Star father who disrupted President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address by shouting “Abbey Gate,” will not face charges for his actions. Washington DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb has decided not to press charges against Nikoui, who was arrested during the formal address after being warned by Capitol Police.
Nikoui, who was invited to the State of the Union by Florida Republican Representative Brian Mast, held resentment towards Biden over the death of his son, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Kareem M. Nikoui, who lost his life serving in Afghanistan during the administration’s chaotic military withdrawal. The young Nikoui was one of 13 killed when a homicide bomber detonated a device at the Abbey Gate of the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
During the address, Nikoui began shouting “Abbey Gate,” disrupting Biden’s speech. After continued disruptions, he was taken into custody, with the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) noting in a statement that “Disrupting the Congress and demonstrating in Congressional Buildings is illegal.”
Several House members, mostly Republicans, backed Nikoui and called for the charges to be dropped. These include California Republican Representative Darrel Issa, Representative Mast, House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul, and Florida Representative Michael Waltz. However, the decision ultimately lay with Attorney General Schwalb.
Upon learning that the charges had been dropped, Fox News reported that Nikoui was “thrilled and humbled.” While the decision spares him from legal consequences, it does little to ease the pain of losing his son in the tragic Kabul bombing.
The incident highlights the ongoing grief and frustration felt by many Gold Star families who lost loved ones during the tumultuous withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the political divide over the handling of the situation by the Biden administration.
