Marine who rescued baby in Kabul investigated for Trump rally

​​A Marine who saved a baby in Kabul by lifting the infant over the walls outside Hamid Karzai International Airport is now under investigation for appearing on stage with former President Donald Trump at a recent political rally in Georgia.

Lance Cpl. Hunter Clark was one of nearly 6,000 U.S. troops tasked with guarding the airport last month as thousands of desperate people tried to get in to escape the Taliban. In one moment captured on video, Clark stood atop a razor-wire lined wall as an Afghan man handed Clark his baby. 

On Sept. 25, Clark appeared on stage with Trump for just under a minute at a “Save America Rally” in Perry, Georgia. Now Clark’s command is looking into whether he violated the military’s ban on active-duty troops engaging in partisan political activity.

“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,” said Capt. Kelton J Cochran, a spokesman for the 24th MEU. “Any details pertaining to this incident are not releasable while the investigation is being conducted.”

Cochran did not specify what policies that Clark may have violated, but the Defense Department does not allow active-duty troops to “speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.”

The Sept. 25 “Save America Rally” was another opportunity for Trump to rail against his political adversaries and to spread lies that President Joe Biden was not legitimately elected. Trump has failed to prove in more than 60 lawsuits that the 2020 election was tainted by widespread voter fraud. His former Attorney General William Barr and Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Chris Krebs have also disputed the myth that the presidential election was stolen.

However, Clark was not in uniform when he appeared with Trump. Nor did he campaign for a political candidate or suggest that service members follow a political party.

Although the rally was a political event, Trump ostensibly invited Clark on stage as part of a public show of support for U.S. troops.

“We’re also honored to be joined by one of the Marines who bravely served in Kabul during the withdrawal and helped evacuate children over the airport and over the airport wall,” Trump told the crowd at the Sept. 25 rally in Perry, Georgia, where Trump said they had also reserved “13 empty seats of honor” for the 11 Marines, a Navy corpsman, and an Army special operations soldier killed in the Aug. 26 attack on the airport’s Abbey Gate.

“You saw him, he did a great job, Lance Cpl. Hunter Ian Clark. Lance corporal get up here!” Trump said at the rally.

Once onstage, the Marine from Warner Robbins, Georgia quickly introduced himself…