A careless error in responding to an email that the White House confirmed what many had already suspected — that the Biden administration has an "attitude of dismissiveness towards veterans" and Gold Star families, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Newsmax on Friday.
Cotton and former Republican Michigan Congressman Mike Rogers joined "National Report" to react to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby's assertion earlier this week that there's "no use in responding" to vets' concerns over the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 that left 13 service members dead, in part, he said, because the vets were "all of one stripe."
Kirby reportedly accidentally hit "reply all" to an email meant for White House staffers. Instead, there was a reporter on the receiving end of his email. Kirby sent the email on 9/11.
"[W]e've got this attitude of dismissiveness towards veterans and towards these Gold Star families. If this is what we learned from just a single reply-all email, imagine what happens every day in this administration," Cotton said. "You have 13 brave Americans who are condemned to their death in Afghanistan because Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are incompetent and weak. And that's why those Blue Star families turn into Gold Star families. Kamala Harris hasn't even had the decency to meet with them once."
Cotton and Rogers are veterans of the U.S. Army.
"Well, listen, it gets my blood going," Rogers said. "The very fact that they diminished the families that are concerned about the absolute irresponsible withdrawal that led to the deaths of 13 fine U.S. military members and just sloughing it off and saying vets shouldn't even have the right to respond to this is absolute nonsense. And it tells me they don't understand nor respect the sacrifice that our men and women who stand on in our defense every single day are going through.
"And what an insult to the families, the Gold Star families that lost people that didn't have to die. This was from a very bad decision by the administration to not even pack up. I'd say pack up and run; they didn't even bother to pack up. They just ran. And it cost service members their lives. We left loved ones behind. We left Americans behind. We left $80 billion of equipment behind. And all of that is working against not only our image around the world, but our safety and security as well."
Rogers, who represented Michigan's 8th district for 14 years, is running for U.S. Senate in November against Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.