An unnamed employee at Arlington National Cemetery has declined to press charges after clashing with former President Donald Trump’s team over fears of retaliation from Trump supporters.
An employee tried to prevent Trump campaign officials from filming in Section 60, a heavily guarded
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cemetery for service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, in an effort to enforce the law. and laws prohibiting political activity in sacred burial grounds.
An Army spokesman confirmed the incident occurred during Trump’s visit to Arlington on Monday. The former president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier when he visited the cemetery for the third anniversary. commemoration of the Abbey Gate bombing, which killed 13 US service members during the chaos of the war in Afghanistan.
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“Participants at the August 26 ceremony and subsequent visit to Section 60 were briefed on federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which expressly prohibit political activity on cemetery grounds,” the spokesman said in a statement. obtained by Business Insider. “An ANC official who tried to ensure compliance with these laws was immediately sidelined.”
The official, the statement continues, has decided not to press charges, “Therefore, the Army considers this matter closed.”
The Army statement also noted that the employee acted “professionally.” Trump’s campaign had previously accused him of having a “mental health episode” and called him “despicable.”
At issue is the Trump campaign’s decision to film and photograph his visit to Section 60. His campaign also posted a TikTok of him standing in front of the capstone. Some marked the graves of service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing, but because the graves are so close together, at least one belonged to a service member whose family did not provide an endorsement from the Trump campaign.
The New York Times reports that relatives of Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano, whose grave was photographed by Trump’s team, confirmed that they did not give permission to the former president’s team.
Relatives of Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee, who were both killed in the Abbey Gate bombing, said they had given permission to the Trump campaign to attend the event. Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews and Marine Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart, both retired, accompanied Trump as he placed the wreath and signed the statement.
“We have
authorized a videographer and an official portrait of President Trump to be present at the event, to ensure that these sacred moments of remembrance are respectfully captured so that we I will forever cherish these memories,” they said in a statement released by the Trump campaign.
Arlington officials say Trump’s team broke the law
One of the laws in question requires the superintendent of the National Army Cemetery, of which Arlington is
the most famous, to ensure that memorial services and ceremonies “do not include the activities of non-partisan politics.” Arlington’s media guidelines state that “filming or photography will not be permitted if it suggests that cemetery officials or any visitor or family member endorses any product, service or organization.”
The policy also places restrictions on political campaigns, citing the Hatch Act, a law that prohibits government employees from engaging in political activities, along with other regulations.
In media statements, the Trump campaign denied
that there was a physical altercation. Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, told NPR, which covered the event, that the former president’s campaign will release footage supporting the nature of the events. So far, the campaign has not. Cheung also told NPR that the unnamed employee “was clearly suffering from mental illness.”
The army forcefully pushed back those attacks.
“This incident was unfortunate, and it is unfortunate that an ANC worker and his conduct have been unfairly attacked,” the Army said. “The ANC is a national shrine to the honored Military dead, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure that public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect a nation deserves.”
Trump’s past comments about veterans are coming up again
VoteVets, an organization that supports Democratic candidates for public office, attacked Trump’s gesture of anger at the Arlington employee.
“Donald Trump’s blatant disrespect for those who sleep in Arlington has now become an all-out war against Arlington National Cemetery, and the cemetery needs to protect its employees from the vile attacks of the Trump-Vance campaign,” the organization said.
The incident also highlighted Trump’s past attacks on other veterans.
As a presidential hopeful in 2016 and after his election, Trump repeatedly mocked Sen. John McCain of Arizona was arrested and imprisoned. Former White House chief of staff John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, also said publicly that Trump told staff he did not want to visit French cemeteries where US servicemen were killed during WWI.
they were buried because they were “reprobates” for being there. killed. Trump and his campaign have since disputed the critics’ claim.
Recently, Trump has angered many veterans groups by suggesting that the Presidential Medal of Freedom was “better” than the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award.
class=”premium”>Ryan Pickrell contributed to this report.