DC attorney general finally does the right thing, drops criminal charges against Gold Star father who interrupted Biden

Gold Star father Steve Nikoui is no longer facing criminal charges for interrupting President Joe Biden's State of the Union address earlier this month.

Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) dropped all charges against Nikoui on Tuesday, Fox News reported. According to Fox News, Nikoui was "thrilled and humbled" when he learned of the news from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).

Nikoui — whose son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, was one of 13 American soldiers killed during Biden's disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal — attended the SOTU as a guest of Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.).

But he was removed from the House Gallery for screaming at Biden and interrupting his speech.

"Remember Abbey Gate?!" Nikoui roared. "United States Marines! Kareem Nikoui!"

Capitol Police officers quickly escorted Nikoui out of the House Gallery and briefly arrested him. The officers justified the arrest by claiming Nikoui had previously been warned to stop but did not.

The Capitol Police said in a statement at the time:

Tonight at approximately 10:15 p.m., a man disrupted the State of the Union address by yelling. Our officers warned him to stop and when he did not, the man was removed from the House Galleries and was arrested for D.C. Code § 22–1307 – Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding. Disrupting the Congress and demonstrating in the Congressional Buildings is illegal.

Several House Republicans, including Issa and Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas), had tried to intervene in the days after Nikoui's arrest. On Tuesday, Issa sent a letter to the Capitol Police requesting the charges be dropped.

Editor's note: This story originally reported, per Fox News, that Schwalb chose not to prosecute Nikoui because he has dropped cases against protesters in the past. But the D.C. AG's office told Blaze News that is not true. We regret the error.

A spokesperson for Schwalb's office said they will not "comment on investigations" and charging decisions.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!