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By SEUNG MIN KIM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former president Joe Biden will attend Thursday’s memorial service for former vp Dick Cheney on the Washington Nationwide Cathedral, which is able to function remarks from one other former president, George W. Bush.
A spokeswoman for Biden confirmed his plans to attend. The Democratic president mentioned in an announcement after Cheney’s loss of life that the previous vp was “guided by a robust set of conservative values” and that “he believed, as I do, that household is the start, center, and finish.”
The present U.S. president, Donald Trump, and his administration mentioned little about Cheney after his Nov. 3 loss of life following issues from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular illness. It’s unknown whether or not Trump, who has had frosty relations with the Cheney household, will attend the funeral, which is by invitation solely.
Trump by no means made an announcement on Cheney’s passing and didn’t challenge a presidential proclamation that usually accompanies the loss of life of notable figures. The White Home did decrease its flags to half-staff after his loss of life, which press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned it did “in accordance with statutory legislation.”
That was additionally the rationale conveyed by the White Home to congressional leaders earlier this month, when the Capitol was advised that it ought to go by the statute that governs when a flag must be lowered, together with for deaths of principal authorities figures, based on three folks accustomed to the conversations.
Federal legislation says when a former vp dies, then the U.S. flag will fly at half-staff from the day of loss of life till the day of interment.
The implication was that congressional leaders shouldn’t look ahead to a proper proclamation as a result of one wouldn’t be coming. The folks spoke on situation of anonymity to explain non-public conversations.
The White Home on Wednesday didn’t reply to a request for touch upon why a proclamation was by no means issued for Cheney, or whether or not Trump was invited to the funeral. Throughout his reelection marketing campaign final 12 months, Trump often criticized Cheney and his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney, who had turn into one in every of Trump’s fiercest critics within the Republican Occasion after his makes an attempt to stay in workplace after shedding the 2020 election. The previous vp, a longtime Republican stalwart, mentioned he would vote for Trump’s opponent, Democrat Kamala Harris, saying final 12 months that Trump can “by no means be trusted with energy once more.”
Along with serving as Bush’s vp, Cheney was additionally the protection secretary underneath President George H.W. Bush and chief of workers for President Gerald Ford. He additionally served as Wyoming’s lone consultant to the Home, a seat that was occupied by his daughter, Liz, a long time later.
Others delivering tributes at Thursday’s funeral are Cheney’s longtime heart specialist, Jonathan Reiner; former NBC Information correspondent Pete Williams, who was Cheney’s spokesman on the Pentagon; Liz Cheney; and the previous vp’s grandchildren.
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