(USNewsBreak.com) – President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union (SOTU) address at the US Capitol on March 7. He made the annual speech before a joint session of Congress and some of the lawmakers’ invited guests. One guest made a ruckus during Biden’s speech, leading Capitol Police to remove him from the building.
Steve Nikoui, the father of US Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, who died during the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, attended the speech at the invitation of Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL). Around 10:15 p.m., he interrupted Biden’s speech by continually yelling “US Marines” and “Abbey Gate,” a reference to where insurgents killed 13 service members.
Capitol Police asked Nikoui to stop, but he continued his disruptions. As a result, a spokesperson told Axios, “the man was removed from the House Galleries and was arrested.” Authorities charged him with crowding, obstructing, or incommoding, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, or both.
State of the Union guest charged for disrupting Biden's speech https://t.co/ZwUEP0lfnp
— Axios (@axios) March 8, 2024
The arrest and subsequent charges angered Mast, who took to X, formerly Twitter, to address the matter of free speech.
The Sergeant at Arms is holding my State of the Union guest for yelling at @POTUS in protest because his son was killed in action at the Abbey Gate due to Biden’s incompetence.
So much for the right to petition our government for the redress of grievances.
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) March 8, 2024
Nikoui wasn’t the only heckler that Biden had to deal with that night. He also verbally addressed Republicans in some back-and-forth. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), dressed in MAGA gear, kept yelling, “Say her name!” The chant was regarding Laken Riley, a coed allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant. Once Biden addressed the death of the college student, however, Greene seemed to stop her protests.
Biden also brought up the bipartisan border deal even spoke directly to former President Donald Trump, asking him to stop encouraging lawmakers to oppose the bill and work with Congress.
Democrats also protested, but silently. Members of the far-left Squad held up signs calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
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