President Joe Biden's chaotic withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan last month was widely criticized on both sides of the aisle, as images of chaos in the region—especially at the Kabul Airport under the revived Taliban regime—showed desperation and despair.
Afghan allies scrambled to the airport in a frenzied effort to evacuate for fear of the Taliban's retribution.
One particularly harrowing video from the footage showed a U.S. soldier being handed an infant, which he then pulled to the other side of the razor-wire barricade protecting the airport.
Watch below.
At a recent rally for former President Donald Trump, Lance Corporal Hunter Clark delivered a speech to the crowd of Trump supporters, where he suggested he was the service member seen in the viral video.
Watch below.
Trump invites Marine pulling baby over Kabul wall in viral video on stage at 'Save America' rally inwww.youtube.com
Clark said:
"Hey my name's Lance Corporal Hunter Clark, I'm here from Warner Robins, Georgia. 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. I just want to thank all of the support from all of y'all it really means a lot and I'm glad to be home now today, thank you."
Clark's command relayed to Military news outlet Task and Purpose that Clark was not one of the service members seen in the viral video pulling the baby over the wall.
Department of Defense guidelines prohibit U.S. service members from speaking at partisan political events. At the rally, Trump repeatedly claimed or suggested the election was stolen and that Biden was not a legitimate president, complicating matters further for Clark, whose appearance at the rally could be seen as implicit support for the undermining of his commander-in-chief.
Clark also smiled for a picture with far-right Congresswoman and prominent conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Another photo of Clark at the Trump rally. pic.twitter.com/VHYySiv1eh
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 30, 2021
Captain Kelton J. Cochran, a spokesperson for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, confirmed Clark is now under investigation for his appearance at the rally, saying:
"The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) has initiated a command investigation regarding LCpl Hunter Clark's attendance at the event last weekend to determine if any DoD policies were violated. Any details pertaining to this incident are not releasable while the investigation is being conducted."
Though the investigation is still underway, people have widely criticized Clark's appearance at the rally, including veterans and their loved ones.
Some speculated that Clark knew he was violating protocol.
It's unclear what, if any, discipline Clark will face after the investigation.
Thankfully, CBS News found that the infant handed over the wall—a now-eight week old girl named Liya—is living in Arizona with her family, who also managed to escape.
