Representatives of Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign team said a reported physical altercation between former President Donald Trump's campaign aides and an official at Arlington National Cemetery was “quite sad” but “it comes as no surprise coming from the Trump team.”
“Listen, this is what we expect from Donald Trump and his team,” Harris campaign spokesman Michael Tyler said in a CNN interview on Wednesday. Arlington Cemetery confirmed late Tuesday that an “incident” had taken place and reiterated that Federal law prohibits candidates and campaign teams from conducting political campaign activities at national military cemeteries.
NPR reported on Tuesday evening that two members of the Republican candidate’s campaign team got right into a verbal and physical altercation with a Arlington Cemetery officially on Monday, when Trump arrived on the holy site with photographers and entourage to take part in a wreath-laying ceremony in a chosen area where probably the most recent U.S. military casualties are buried.
A source told NPR that the official tried to forestall Trump staff from “filming and taking photographs in that area” throughout the event, which marked the third anniversary of the deaths of 13 U.S. soldiers killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul airport throughout the Afghanistan evacuation.
“Donald Trump is a person who wants to make everything about Donald Trump. He is also someone who has a history of humiliating and degrading military personnel, those who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” Tyler said on CNN on Wednesday.
“I think that's part of what the American people resent about Donald Trump. They're tired of this toxic brand of politics,” Tyler said.
“They're tired of MAGA extremism, and they're tired of a person who, no matter what the issue is, is frankly just trying to serve himself instead of doing what you're supposed to do as a leader, which is fight for the American people.”
In a press release Tuesday evening, Arlington confirmed that “an incident occurred” and that “a report was filed.”
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election activities at U.S. Army military cemeteries, including photographers, content creators, or others who are there for that purpose or in direct support of a partisan political candidate's campaign,” the cemetery's statement said.
“Arlington National Cemetery has reaffirmed this law and its prohibitions and has provided full communication to all concerned.”
The cemetery, operated by the U.S. Army, has a media policy for U.S. national military cemeteries on its website.
The policy states: “Filming or photography is not permitted if doing so would create the impression that cemetery officials or visitors or family members are promoting a product, service or organization. In addition, pursuant to the Hatch Act, 32 CFR 553 and AR 360-1, the ANC does not authorize filming for partisan, political or fundraising purposes.”
In the times following Trump’s visit, his campaign team posted videos and photos of the event on social media, including a TikTok Video of him in Arlington.
In photos, Trump is seen next to the graves of two Marines killed within the Kabul attack, smiling and giving a thumbs up as he stands next to their members of the family.
The post also features a tag that TikTok adds to some political content, with the text: “Get information on the US elections.”
Dan Scavino, a senior adviser to Trump's campaign, posted a video of Trump in Arlington on the social media site X.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung denied in a press release Tuesday evening that there was a physical altercation and said, “We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.”
“A private photographer was allowed onto the premises, and for some reason, an unnamed individual, obviously suffering from a mental disorder, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team during a very solemn ceremony,” Cheung said.
Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Trump's campaign, said Wednesday: “An unnamed bureaucrat in Arlington, whose job it is to preserve the dignity of the cemetery, is doing the exact opposite by trying to turn a very solemn and respectful event into something it was not.”
Speaking to NBC News, LaCivita also said that Harris' campaign and other Trump critics were using their comments on the incident to “obscure the fact that there was only one commander in chief in Arlington on August 26.”
He was referring to the incontrovertible fact that President Joe Biden, who was in office in Kabul on the time of the soldiers' deaths, didn’t visit Arlington on the anniversary of their deaths on Tuesday. Harris also didn’t visit the cemetery that day.
LaCivita, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, also posted photos of Trump's visit to Arlington on social media.
On Tuesday evening, he released a photograph of Trump posing with members of the family of fallen service members in Arlington, in addition to a press release from the families of two Marines killed within the Kabul attack, Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee.
“We have allowed President Trump's official videographer and photographer to attend the event,” the statement said, “to ensure that these sacred moments of remembrance are respectfully captured and we can preserve these memories forever.”
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