Family members of some of the 13 U.S. service members killed in a terror attack outside Kabul's airport last week chastised President Joe Biden for his response to the deaths of their loved ones.
The wave of criticism follows the deadly attack on Thursday, for which an Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility. Biden traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday with his wife Jill and top members of his staff, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, to meet with the families and honor the troops as their remains arrived in the United States. The backlash has also expanded into the political sphere, with conservative critics such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee attacking the president for looking at his watch during the ceremony.
One of the sisters of Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, Roice, said her family left the room when it was time to meet the president because they did not want to speak with the person they blamed for her brother's death.
McCollum's pregnant wife Jiennah was the only one in the group to remain and speak with Biden.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Roice said Jiennah was frustrated with the president's response, which she said felt scripted and shallow. According to Roice, he spoke about the death of his own son and paid no attention to their personal loss.
"You can't f*** up as bad as he did and say you're sorry," Roice said. "This did not need to happen, and every life is on his hands."
McCollum's mother Kathy also spoke to the press, calling into SiriusXM’s radio show The Wilkow Majority for an interview, blaming Democrats for electing Biden in the first place.
"My son is gone, and I just want all you Democrats who cheated in the election or who voted for him legitimately, you just killed my son," she said. "With a dementia-ridden piece of crap who doesn't even know he's in the White House who still thinks he's a senator."
Kathy McCollum did not attend the ceremony to honor the fallen soldiers Sunday.
Their father James McCollum wanted to join the military when he was younger but could not because of health issues, Roice told the Washington Post. However, he passed the love of the military on to his son.
“Rylee just loved it. He wanted to be so patriotic,” Roice said.
Paula Knauss, mother of Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, criticized Biden for his withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan by the end of this month, claiming it disgraced everyone who fought in Afghanistan over the past 20 years.
"You can't have a hasty withdrawal after 20 years of war," she said. "Because it's beyond me. It disgraces the name of all those who have fought in the past and who are now on ground, foreign ground fighting right now. My son's [82nd] Airborne is still there, and they deserve to be protected."
The other service members killed Thursday were Navy corpsman Max Soviak and Marines Hunter Lopez, David Lee Espinoza, Kareem Nikoui, Jared Schmitz, Daegan Page, Taylor Hoover, Humberto Sanchez, Johanny Rosario, Dylan Merola, and Nicole Gee.
Following the attack, Biden delivered a speech to the nation from the White House.
"We're outraged as well as heartbroken," he said, "To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay."
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