Jen Psaki’s callous lie about President Joe Biden not actually checking his watch during the dignified transfer of the 13 American service members who died due to his failed Afghanistan withdrawal went over as well as America’s actual surrender from Afghanistan — but it did have a surprising silver lining. It left one of the Gold Star families impacted by this tragedy with an experience they’ll never forget.
Following Psaki’s post-Mother’s Day plan to publish a book with the lie that Biden “looked at his watch only after the ceremony had ended, [and that] moments later, he and the First Lady headed toward their car,” I interviewed several of the families who came to Dover Air Force Base for the now-infamous series of events. Following the Townhall piece’s publication, I caught up with several of the families to check in. One of the Gold Star Mothers, Alicia Lopez, told Townhall that she had actually flown into Washington, DC, from Riverside California, where she and her husband are both longtime police officers with a combined 49 years of service between them, for National Police Week.
As they were arriving in the capital, Psaki’s lies were published, enraging them and the others who know all too well that Biden stared at his watch time after time after time as their loved ones rolled past them, draped in American flag coffins. The contrast between how so many in the Lopez family have signed up to serve our country — and Psaki, a middling TV talent at best — is striking. Also striking was what Lopez said about how she’s raised her children. “As parents, we teach our kids to be honest and tell the truth — why does she feel she is above being honest and telling the truth?” she asked, speaking for many.
For years, the Lopez family has flown across the country for National Police Week — prior to their son’s death in Afghanistan in August, 2021. Alicia told Townhall that her son Hunter, who attended his final Police Week in 2019, “vowed to one day return as a deputy sheriff to support the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Hunter was unfortunately killed in action on August 26th, 2021, [but] in his honor we continue to support the families of the fallen officers.”
However, Lopez noted that Biden’s remarks were callous and uninspiring — so much so that she had no desire to hear from him. In the first Police Week after her son was killed in Afghanistan, she flew out for the commemoration. “Unfortunately, during the ceremony, I saw President Biden approach the stage and I knew I could not stomach being in his presence.” This year, she skipped Biden’s speech, but her husband attended, and he confirmed her suspicions that “the president spoke about the loss of his son [Beau] and how he can relate to the families [who lost their relatives in the line of duty]. Same story he told us at the dignified transfers.”
While Biden’s remarks failed to impress the Lopez family and most of the other cops in attendance with them, the week took a turn for the better when House Republicans, from rank-and-file freshmen to Speaker Mike Johnson rolled out the red carpet for Lopez and her family.
After Biden’s remarks, the Lopez family went on a whirlwind tour of the Capitol, traversing tens of thousands of steps more than they had anticipated, and ascending all the way to the literal pinnacle of American government. It all started thanks to Congressman Mike Waltz, who secured a Capitol Hill tour that the Californians had been unable to lock down, followed by Anthony D’Esposito — himself a longtime NYPD officer — securing a meeting for the family with Speaker Johnson and a highly-coveted tour of the Capitol’s dome from Congressman Steve Scalise’s office.
The day ended with the Lopez family in a familiar place — the office of Congressman Darrell Issa, who has emerged as their foremost champion in elected office, after he worked to roll out commemorations for the sacrifices made by Hunter and his 12 fellow service members from coast to coast.
This conglomeration of events normally takes weeks of planning in advance to arrange, but Republicans, led largely by D’Esposito, took care of everything in under 48 hours — a stark contrast with how the Biden administration vacillates between ignoring these Gold Star families and outright lying to and about them. While D’Esposito’s Long Island-based district is located thousands of miles from Riverside, California, he told Townhall that rolling out the red carpet for the Lopez family was a no-brainer, especially considering how inaccessible his Democratic predecessors had been to law enforcement members.
“In my over 15 years of service, I was never invited or looped in on any events or programming by my representative,” D’Esposito told Townhall. “That’s why, for as long as I’m honored to represent New York’s 4th District, our door will remain open for these great men and women.”
After the Lopez family flew back to California early the next morning following their VIP treatment — which is the least a grateful nation can do for them — Alicia told Townhall that the trip left her invigorated that a change may be in the air.
“I can’t wait to attend a Police Week with a president who is pro-law enforcement and speaks from the heart,” she told Townhall.
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