"Meet the Press" issued a correction on Sunday after host Kristen Welker claimed Vice President Kamala Harris was present during the dignified transfer of the 13 U.S. service members who were killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Welker made the comment in response to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who criticized President Biden and Vice President Harris for ignoring the gold star families on the third anniversary of the attack.
The host asked Cotton about former President Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery to attend a wreath-laying ceremony.
“Photos, videos were posted on a campaign site,” she said. “Taking campaign photos and videos at gravesites is forbidden under federal law. You, of course, served at Arlington Cemetery in the Old Guard, so I know that this is a sacred place for you. Bottom line though, I guess, Senator: Is it ever appropriate to make campaign content at military gravesites?”
“He didn't take campaign photos there,” Cotton replied. “These families, Gold Star families, whose children died because of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' incompetence, invited him to the cemetery. And they asked him to take those photos because, as they told me yesterday when I spoke to Kelly Barnett and Darin Hoover, the parents of Taylor Hoover, who has Arkansas ties, they don't get to go to the beach on Labor Day. They don't get to have barbecues. This is their one chance to have a memory of their children to commemorate their service and to honor their sacrifice. They wanted President Trump there. They wanted to take those photos. You know who the families also invited? Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Where were they? Joe Biden was sitting at a beach. Kamala Harris was sitting at her mansion in Washington, D.C. She was four miles away, ten minutes. She could've gone to the cemetery and – and honored the sacrifice of those young men and women. But she hasn't. She never has spoken to them or taken a meeting with them.”
“Well, they – they did meet with them during the dignified--,” Welker followed up, referring to Biden and Harris. “They were with them at the dignified transfer.”
Given that Harris was not at the dignified transfer, where President Biden repeatedly checked his watch, "Meet the Press" issued a correction on its X account.
On our broadcast this morning, we incorrectly implied that both President Biden and Vice President Harris attended the dignified transfer of 13 American service members killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal. Biden was in attendance but Harris was not.
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 1, 2024
X users blasted the statement because Welker did not imply Harris was there, the host said she was.
NBC is now walking back Kristen Welker’s statement that Kamala attended the dignified transfer of the 13 soldiers who were kiIIed at Abbey Gate. They say they “implied” Kamala was there. Kristen didn’t “imply” it. She outright said it. She straight up lied to cover for Kamala.… pic.twitter.com/MSTUTiNeHV
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 1, 2024
No, @kwelkernbc did not "IMPLY" that both Biden and Harris were at the dignified transfer. She said that explicitly. She said "they did meet with them at the dignified transfer." STOP LYING YOU SICK PEOPLE. And stop doing Democrat propaganda.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) September 1, 2024
Correct your correction... she said it.. she didn't "imply it."
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) September 1, 2024
The correction has not been included on a transcript of the interview.