The Army on Thursday defended an Arlington National Cemetery staffer who clashed with Donald Trump campaign officials as they took photos and videos of the former president in a restricted area of the cemetery.
In a lengthy and unusually long statement, the Army said the Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) employee acted with “professionalism” and said Trump officials “abruptly pushed her aside” when she tried to enforce a federal law banning campaign activity at the cemetery.
However, as the staff member has no intention of pressing charges, the Army said it considered the matter “closed.”
It is a rare rebuke by the military against a former commander in chief, and comes amid a deepening feud between Trump and the Gold Star Families over the incident.
Families who invited the former president to join them at the cemetery have defended him, but other families who lost loved ones in service to the United States have criticized Trump for posting photos and videos of the visit on his campaign accounts.
Donald Trump laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is considered a sacred site for the U.S. military and is administered by the Army.
Trump, who is seeking a second term in the White House, was invited on Monday to visit relatives of some of the soldiers who died three years ago when U.S. troops left Afghanistan. He was there to help them mark the anniversary of the Abbey Gate suicide bombing and pay tribute to the soldiers who died.
His campaign said they had advance permission to bring a photographer.
And the officials said Axios They are “weighing options” about publishing their internal images that support their version of the story.
They claim a cemetery staff member attempted to “physically block” members of Trump’s team during the visit and claimed the staff member had a “mental health episode.”
“The fact is that a private photographer was allowed into the venue and for some reason, an anonymous individual, who was clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.
On Monday, while at the cemetery, Trump laid three separate wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then went with the families to Section 60. His campaign posted a video of both parts of the visit on its TikTok account. And several staff members posted photos on social media.
But the Army responded by saying that before the visit, the campaign “was informed of federal laws, Army regulations and Department of Defense policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds.”
“A CNA employee who attempted to ensure compliance with these rules was abruptly removed,” an army spokesman said in Thursday’s statement.
“In keeping with the decorum expected of the ANC, this employee acted professionally and prevented further problems. The incident was reported to the JBM-HH Police Department, but the employee subsequently decided not to press charges. Therefore, the Army considers the matter closed,” the spokesperson said.
“This incident was regrettable, and it is also regrettable that the ANC employee and her professionalism have been unfairly targeted. The ANC is a national shrine to the fallen of the Armed Forces and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure that public ceremonies are held with the dignity and respect due to the nation’s fallen.”
Arlington National Cemetery is considered hallowed ground and is administered by the U.S. Army.
Military officials told The New York Times that the cemetery employee feared that raising the matter with authorities at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, which has jurisdiction over the cemetery, could expose her to retaliation from Trump supporters.
Pentagon officials were deeply concerned that Trump might turn the visit into a campaign stop, but they also did not want to prevent him from coming, The Washington Post reported. The Washington Post.
Officials gave the campaign “ground rules” in an attempt to keep politics out of the visit.
Before the former president’s visit, Army officials told Trump’s team he could come in a personal capacity and bring personal aides, but not campaign staff.
The campaign staff went anyway.
“If the campaign feels the need to defend its team’s actions — which include intimidating and physically pushing a longtime public servant and member of the Arlington team working to protect the sanctity of sacred spaces — then that is its responsibility,” a defense official told The Post.
‘The rules were clearly explained to the contestants and these two decided to ignore them. End of story.’
Trump has sharply criticized President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, calling it “gross incompetence.”
The visit also allowed Trump to counter reports that he has no respect for veterans and has previously referred to fallen World War II soldiers as fools and losers — reports Trump has denied.
During his visit to Arlington Cemetery, the former president laid three wreaths at the grave: two in honor of Sergeant Taylor Hoover and Sergeant Nicole Gee (two Marines killed in the attack) and another wreath dedicated to the 13 service members who died in the attack.
He was joined by Marine Corporal Kelsee Lainhart (ret.) and Marine Sergeant Tyler Vargas-Andrews, both wounded in the Abbey Gate bombing.
Monday marked three years since the August 26, 2021 suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport, which killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghans. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.
After laying the wreath, Trump and his family headed to Section 60, the final resting place of those killed fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, a place regularly visited by spouses and family members of the fallen.
The media were not allowed to accompany the former president to that section of the cemetery.
Trump posed for photos with family and laid flowers on the graves of some of the soldiers who died, according to images posted on social media by his team.
Although families often take photographs at the graves of their loved ones, federal law prohibits any political activity at the cemetery.
Sitting presidents have visited Section 60, but never as part of a political campaign.
The families of the fallen said they had invited Trump and gave “our approval for President Trump’s official videographer and photographer to attend the event, ensuring that these sacred moments of remembrance were respectfully captured so that we can cherish these memories forever.”
President Biden lays flowers at grave of Master Sergeant Ryan Knauss
The Caisse Platoon of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), Marines of the Marine Corps Band “The President’s Own” and Marines from Marine Barracks Washington, DC (8th & I) conduct military funeral honors with funeral escort for U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Darin Hoover in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery in September 2021.
But the family of a Green Beret who served eight tours in combat and is buried in Section 60 expressed concern that the Trump campaign filmed his grave without permission.
Family members of Staff Sergeant Andrew Marckesano told the The New York Times that the Trump campaign had not followed the rules when it came to visits.
Marckesano’s grave is next to that of Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, a Marine who died in the Abbey Gate bombing.
The Hoover family gave Trump’s team permission to film and photograph the grave, but the Marckesano family did not.
Marckesano’s grave was shown in photos of the visit that were posted online.
Marckesano’s sister Michele told the Times: “We fully support the family of Sgt Darin Hoover and the other families in their quest for answers and accountability regarding the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the tragedy at Abbey Gate.”
“However,” he added, “based on our conversation with Arlington National Cemetery, Trump campaign staff did not follow the rules set forth for this visit to Sergeant Hoover’s gravesite in Section 60, which is located directly next to my brother’s gravesite.”
She continued: “We hope that those who visit this sacred place will understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly.”
Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 400,000 military personnel, veterans and their families.