A babe is handed implicit to the American service implicit the perimeter partition of the airdrome for it to beryllium evacuated, successful Kabul, Afghanistan, August 19, 2021, successful this inactive representation taken from video obtained from societal media. Video taken August 19, 2021. (OMAR HAIDARI/via REUTERS)
During a rally successful Georgia implicit the weekend, erstwhile President Donald Trump invited Lance Cpl. Hunter Clark to the stage, implying helium was the Marine successful a viral video who lifted a kid implicit a partition astatine the airdrome successful Kabul, Afghanistan.
“We’re besides honored to beryllium joined by 1 of the Marines who bravely served successful Kabul during the withdrawal,” Trump said, “and helped evacuate children implicit … the airdrome wall. You saw him. He did a large job.”
Clark told the audience Saturday: “I americium the feline that pulled the babe implicit the partition and it’s decidedly astir apt 1 of the top things I’ve ever done successful my full life.” Clark past thanked the assemblage for their enactment earlier leaving the stage.
Problem is, the Marine Corps says it wasn’t Clark successful the video lifting the baby.
Facts First: In a statement, a US Marine Corps spokesperson said Clark was not the idiosyncratic who lifted the kid implicit a partition successful the viral representation and that Clark is present being investigated for his quality astatine the rally. But connected Friday Clark’s mother, Peggy Clark, told CNN her lad was 1 of the Marines who helped the babe erstwhile it was lifted implicit the wall.
The Marine Corps connection did not code whether helium could person been 1 of the different Marines, lone whether helium was the 1 who pulled the babe up to the wall.
“Regarding the viral photograph that began circulating astir August 20, 2021, the Marine identified successful that peculiar representation was not LCpl Clark,” Kelton Cochran, a spokesperson for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit said successful a statement.
Cochran added, “The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) has initiated a bid probe regarding LCpl Hunter Clark’s attendance astatine the lawsuit past play to find if immoderate DoD policies were violated.”
On Thursday, anterior to publication, Clark’s parent initially declined to remark to CNN.
On Friday, Georgia Congressman Austin Scott arranged for CNN to speech to Clark’s mother, who wanted to marque wide her lad was progressive successful assisting the baby.
Peggy Clark told CNN that her lad was handed the babe by the archetypal Marine who lifted the babe from the crowd.
Cochran confirmed to CNN connected Friday that Clark is simply a portion of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit that was deployed to Afghanistan arsenic a portion of the non-combatant evacuation ngo during the last weeks of US subject beingness successful the country.
The Defense Department mostly prohibits progressive work members from speaking astatine partisan governmental gatherings.
Cochran noted successful his connection that “details pertaining to this incidental are not releasable portion the probe is being conducted.”
CNN was incapable to interaction Clark directly.
Asked by telephone Thursday evening if her lad stood by his comments astatine Saturday’s rally, Peggy Clark told CNN, “He’s not going to remark connected that.”
“He’s asked that I not springiness retired immoderate accusation close now,” she said. “He can’t bash immoderate interviews oregon talk with anybody close now. I’m sorry.”
“He’s got to spell done immoderate things and erstwhile helium gets the accidental and tin bash that past I’m definite he’ll marque a statement.”
English (US) ·