As a group of veterans arrived on what is known as an âhonor flightâ at a Washington-area airport last month, a Republican senator who has called for Americans to respect veterans âevery dayâ remained seated while many others in the terminal stood and applauded.
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana was photographed sitting and looking at a laptop as others in the Southwest Airlines terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport saluted the veterans.
Lamar White Jr., who runs the progressive Louisiana blog The Bayou Brief, posted the photo of Kennedy last month on Twitter and wrote that the incident happened Sept. 7.
âOn Sept. 7th at Reagan National Airport, as passengers waited to board Flight WN 258 to New Orleans, an Honor Flight of veterans arrived at the gate and were met with a standing ovation. But one person in the crowd remained seated and uninterested,â he wrote, later revealing that person to be Kennedy.
On Wednesday, White told the American Ledger that several people, including the source who sent him the photo, recognized Kennedy at the gate.
âIt was a flight full of Louisianans,â he said. âEveryone there knew who he was.â
In the past, Kennedy has criticized people who donât show respect for American symbols.
Last year, Kennedy defended President Donald Trumpâs attacks on the NFL for not firing players who stood or raised a fist during the national anthem as a silent protest against police brutality toward African-Americans.
âWouldnât you love,â Trump said at a rally in Alabama in September 2017, âto see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, âGet that son of a bitch off the field right now?’â
Kennedy said he agreed with Trumpâs sentiment if not his language.
âI wouldnât have said it the way he said it, but President Trump is saying what a lot of Americans are thinking,â Kennedy told Time magazine. âDoes there have to be politics to everything? I mean, do you really have to inject politics into a football game?â
In a floor speech on Nov. 8, Kennedy said the country needed to âtake a moment to reflect on the freedoms that we enjoy every dayâ and âthank those who have devoted their lives to serve and protect the greatest nation in human history, the United States of America.â
âIt is imperative, in my judgment,â he said, âthat this Veterans Day — and every day — we honor the service and sacrifices made by our women and our men in uniform.â