The U.S. Army issued a rare statement on Thursday addressing a scuffle involving Donald Trump's entourage and a female employee on the grounds of the nation's preeminent military cemetery, CNN reported.
The scuffle took place after Trump's campaign staff were told they could not film in a restricted area of the cemetery housing graves for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, dubbed Section 60. Disregarding the rule, Trump's campaign released photos and video taken in that section in apparent violation of federal law.
“Arlington National Cemetery routinely hosts public wreath-laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers for individuals and groups who submit requests in advance, ANC conducts nearly 3000 such public ceremonies a year without incident,” the rare Army statement read. “Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds."
Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, participating in a a wreath-laying ceremony to honor 13 U.S. military service members who died at Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate in 2021. The former president stomped through the cemetery visiting grave sites while criticizing President Joe Biden’s administration’s “disaster” for TikTok.
Cemetery officials said that they informed the Republican candidate’s campaign ahead of time that staff were prohibited from engaging in political activity, NPR reported. Despite this, Trump's campaign staff refused to heed an employee's reminder of the prohibition, reportedly verbally and physically abusing her; in a statement, the Trump campaign later attacked the employee, claiming she was mentally ill.
In its statement, an Army spokesperson confirmed that the clash took place.
“An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside. Consistent with the decorum expected at ANC, this employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruptions.The incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked. ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure the public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation's fallen deserve."
Some lawmakers are now demanding answers.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is requesting that the Army release more details about what exactly happened, telling The New Republic's Greg Sargent that, “As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am troubled by the reporting and want to see the incident report."
