Donald Trump invited a Marine to the stage at his rally in Georgia over the weekend and implied that he was the one who was seen in a viral clip hoisting a baby over the wall at Kabul Airport as Afghans flee the country to avoid living under Taliban rule.
Trump told the crowd that Lance Cpl. Hunter Clark “bravely served in Kabul during the withdrawal,” adding he “helped evacuate children over … the airport wall. You saw him. He did a great job.”
Clark told the crowd: “I am the guy that pulled the baby over the wall and it’s definitely probably one of the greatest things I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
However, a spokesman for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit told CNN in a statement that Clark was not in the photo showing Marines lifting a baby over a wall at an airport in Kabul.
“Regarding the viral photo that began circulating around August 20, 2021, the Marine identified in that particular image was not LCpl Clark,” Kelton Cochran said.
Clark is also under investigation to determine if his attendance at the rally violated any Department of Defense policies. The DoD prohibits active duty troops from speaking at partisan political gatherings, CNN noted.
