user: Delaware mourns Beau Biden

The chaplain of the Delaware National Guard spoke of Beau Biden's "victories" and of a "life well-lived." The state's governor said he was "a model for what a public servant should be."

Biden, a 46-year-old Iraq war veteran and former state attorney general, lay in honor on Thursday in the Delaware Senate Chamber, surrounded by his family. His motorcade passed through a series of small Delaware cities on the way to the statehouse where an honor guard waited through a light June drizzle to receive it.

Vice President Biden held the hand of Beau's young son, Hunter, and kissed Beau's wife, Hallie, on the head as she watched the honor guard carry his flag-draped casket. Inside the statehouse, the tight-knit clan gathered around his casket as his life was remembered. The vice president's wife, Jill, wrapped both of her arms around Beau's young daughter, Natalie. The vice president, his hands clasped in front of him, closed his eyes and bowed his head.

[From ‘Jill’ to ‘Mom’ — inside Jill Biden’s relationship with Beau and Hunter]

The chaplain offered a prayer and urged mourners not to focus on the tragedies that had bookended Beau's life. In 1972, Beau's 1-year-old sister, Naomi, and his mother, Neilia, were killed in a Christmastime car accident. Beau died of brain cancer on Saturday. "Help us instead to read the volumes of victories and the tales of triumph of a life well-lived," the chaplain said.

Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, was laid in honor on Thursday at Dover's legislative Hall as the Biden family mourned his loss after battling brain cancer. (Reuters)

Gov. Jack Markell (D) described the Bidens as "Delaware's family." The vice president teared up as the governor talked about the close bonds between Beau and his father. "Never has a son's love been so genuine and deep," the governor said.

"He cared deeply about the people of Delaware," the governor said. "We the people of Delaware loved Beau, if possible, even more."

The service was brief, lasting only about 30 minutes and was the first of many planned for the next few days. Beau was posthumously awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross by the state for his heroism, meritorious service and outstanding achievement. In a receiving line after the service, the Biden family hugged the hundreds mourners who filled the small statehouse, and the vice president flashed a wide smile as he spoke those who had come to remember his son and offer condolences.

More than an hour after the service, the Biden family was still greeting mourners.

Greg Jaffe covers the White House for The Washington Post, where he has been since March 2009.

summary: The 46-year-old Iraq war veteran and former state attorney general lay in honor Thursday in the Delaware Senate Chamber.


WikiLeaks mum on source of damaging DNC emails, says real issue is proof Sanders 'sabotaged'

Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, on Sunday declined to say whether Russia was connected to the cache of damaging Democratic National Committee emails his group released before the start of the party’s convention.

Assange cited confidentiality of sources, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” that revealing who hacked into DNC computers, then leaked the roughly 20,000 emails to WikiLeaks would be “irresponsible.”

"We never reveal our sources,” Assange also said, from Ecuador's embassy in London, where he is seeking refuge. "We don't give any material away as to who are our sources. It’s a security matter for us."

The July 22 release showed DNC staffers appeared to undermine the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, which forced group Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a supporter of then-party front-runner Hillary Clinton, to resign.

The release also created a rocky start for the Democrats' four-day convention last week in Philadelphia, where Clinton accepted the party's presidential nomination.

And the timing of the release sparked widespread speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Republican nominee Donald Trump has at times seemed to admire, was behind the leak.

Such speculation was further fueled when Trump suggested that if Russia has emails that Clinton permanently deleted from her private server system while secretary of state, then the country should also leak them.

Trump later suggested that he was talking sarcastically. And he told ABC's "This Week" that he has no connection with Putin.

Assange on Sunday sought to focus on the content of the emails and their veracity, not who provided them.

He said WikiLeaks has a "a perfect track record” with leaked material.

"What I can say categorically is that we have published proof that the election campaign of Bernie Sanders was sabotaged in a corrupt manner,” he also said.

summary:

assistant: Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, on Sunday declined to say whether Russia was connected to the cache of damaging Democratic National Committee emails his group release before the start of the party’s convention.