Two members of former President Donald Trump’s marketing campaign reportedly had a verbal and bodily altercation on Monday with an official at Arlington Nationwide Cemetery who tried to cease them from filming in an space the place latest U.S. army casualties are buried.
NPR first reported particulars of the incident, which came about as Trump held a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the third anniversary of an assault on American troops because the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan. 13 service members have been killed throughout the assault at Kabul airport, a tragedy the previous president has blamed on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
A supply advised NPR that employees on the 639-acre nationwide cemetery in Virginia had let the Trump marketing campaign know that solely cemetery officers are allowed to take photographs or video in Part 60, the place latest casualties are buried. However Trump staffers reportedly tried to take action anyway.
When an Arlington Nationwide Cemetery official tried to cease them, the 2 marketing campaign staffers “verbally abused and pushed the official aside,” NPR reported.
In an announcement to media shops, Arlington Nationwide Cemetery confirmed that there had been an “incident” on Monday, including {that a} report had been filed.
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” the cemetery, which is maintained by the U.S. Military, stated in an announcement. “Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”
The Trump marketing campaign, in remarks to NPR, maintained it did nothing unsuitable and had video footage to show it. HuffPost has reached out to the marketing campaign for additional remark.
Photograph by Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto through Getty Photos
“We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made,” Steven Cheung, the spokesman for the marketing campaign, stated in an announcement. “The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”
Trump has confronted criticism over a collection of troubling statements in regards to the army throughout his political profession. He not too long ago drew fierce condemnation after telling a billionaire donor that the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — he was bestowing on her was “much better” than its army equal, the Medal of Honor.
“That’s the highest award you can get as a civilian. It’s the equivalent of the congressional Medal of Honor, but civilian version,” Trump advised GOP mega-donor Miriam Adelson earlier this month. “It’s actually much better because everyone gets the congressional Medal of Honor, that’s soldiers, they’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead.”
He has additionally been dogged by feedback made in 2020 during which he reportedly known as American service members who died in World Conflict I “suckers” and “losers.” He has denied making these remarks, however former aides have confirmed he did.
Trump additionally sparked controversy when he stated the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was not a battle right here as a result of he had been captured. McCain endured greater than 5 years as a prisoner of battle in North Vietnam.
