By Asiye Latife Yilmaz
ISTANBUL (AA) – Dick Cheney, the late vice president under George W. Bush, will be honored Thursday in Washington, DC with past presidents attending, but with neither US President Donald Trump nor Vice President JD Vance invited, sources told CNN.
More than 1,000 guests, including all living former vice presidents and two former presidents, are expected at Cheney’s invitation-only funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral.
Cheney, who served two terms under Bush and was a key figure in shaping US foreign policy after the Sept., 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, died on Nov. 3 at the age of 84.
Among the expected attendees are former presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden, former vice presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle, as well as Supreme Court justices, Cabinet members, and congressional leaders from both parties.
A lifelong conservative who initially backed Trump in 2016, Cheney spent his final years opposing the controversial leader, calling him a “coward” and the “greatest threat to our republic.”
Earlier this year, Trump accused Cheney and other officials of convincing Bush to invade Iraq, saying: “He’s the one that got us involved, along with Cheney and a couple of others, convinced Bush — which was a terrible decision — to blow up the Middle East.”
Trump, who is known for holding grudges towards his vocal critics, has not publicly offered condolences or commented on the death of Cheney.