The family of a U.S. Marine killed by ISIS in the deadly Kabul airport bombing slammed President Joe Biden for his "scripted and shallow" remarks at a private meeting.
Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum was killed in a suicide bombing by the Afghan affiliate of ISIS on Thursday. McCollum’s family was reportedly displeased by their interaction with Biden on Sunday at an Air Force base in Delaware, where the bodies of the 13 fallen U.S. service members were transferred.
Only McCollum’s wife Jiennah, who is expecting the late Marine’s son in September, spoke with Biden. According to the Washington Post, the rest of McCollum's immediate family "did not want to speak with the man they held responsible for McCollum's death." McCollum’s sister Roice said Biden's words were "scripted and shallow," and Jiennah left the meeting "disappointed."
"You can't f— up as bad as he did and say you're sorry," Roice said of Biden. "This did not need to happen, and every life is on his hands."
McCollum’s mother Kathy, who did not attend the transfer in Delaware, also expressed anger toward Biden. She said Friday that Biden "sent my son to die" and questioned the president’s mental fitness.
"Two Marines at my door telling me my son was dead," Kathy McCollum said. "Twenty years and six months old, getting ready to come home from freaking Jordan to be home with his wife to watch the birth of his son, and that feckless, dementia-ridden piece of crap just sent my son to die."