An officer from Arlington National Cemetery was “abruptly pushed aside” and “unfairly attacked” by Trump campaign personnel and its surrogates, according to the Army’s defense of the woman. The event occurred this week at the national cemetery.
The Army, which operates national cemeteries, released a statement Thursday morning stating that it considers the case closed; the unidentified female staff member has chosen not to seek charges out of fear of retaliation.
This tragic event occurred on Monday while former President Trump was attending a burial ceremony at the cemetery with relatives of two servicemen who lost their lives during the American pullout from Afghanistan.
There is a federal law that forbids the filming of partisan political advertisements at national cemeteries. When a Trump photographer tried to accompany the former president to the grave sites, an Army official tried to stop them but was pushed aside, according to the officials. The Army officials were fully informed about this to the Trump team.
On Thursday, the Army issued a statement in which it informed the Trump campaign that “political activities on cemetery grounds” are clearly prohibited by federal laws, Army regulations, and DoD policies.
It appears that the Trump campaign disregarded that rule on Wednesday when they posted a TikTok video depicting Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery, in which Trump blames President Joe Biden for the deaths of the service members.
The Pentagon is not currently pursuing any legal action against the Trump campaign, according to a Pentagon official who requested anonymity in order to discuss a delicate matter.
Despite being “abruptly pushed aside,” the employee “acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption,” according to an Army spokeswoman who made the statement.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung called the worker “clearly suffering from a mental health episode” when the story surfaced.
On Thursday, a representative from the Army expressed regret over the unjust accusations leveled against the ANC employee and her professionalism.
Hill Democrats wasted little time in denouncing Trump’s visit, seeing it as an attempt to politicize Arlington National Cemetery and the sacrifices made by its citizens.
The former Navy commander and current representative from Pennsylvania, Chris Deluzio, took to social media to express his dismay at the actions of certain individuals. He argued that violating the laws and regulations of Arlington National Cemetery in order to get a picture op was disrespectful and disrespectful to the sacrifices made by Americans who died there. “The disgrace that is Donald Trump is his contempt for our war dead and the law.”
Like many others, former Army soldier and Democratic representative Jason Crow of Colorado branded the Trump campaign’s behavior “a disgrace.”
There is no place more hallowed than Arlington National Cemetery. Using the burial site for political purposes is a grave injustice, Crow said. “Although I wish I could claim surprise, the Trump campaign’s confrontation and utilization of the cemetery for campaign photographs amounted to nothing more than what we’ve seen before.”
Representative Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a Democrat from a congressional district in Northern Virginia in the Washington area, has pushed the Arlington National Cemetery to reveal information about the incident publicly. A public publication, according to the spokeswoman, should shield the names of Army staffers.
“I have spent my career ensuring that those who served can be buried at our National cemetery and I have joined families in grieving at Arlington Cemetery,” Connolly said in a statement. “It’s disheartening, but not surprising, that Donald Trump would disrespect this sacred site and prioritize his campaign over paying tribute to our heroes.”
“I implore Arlington Cemetery to make public all that happened on Monday so the people of the United States can be sure that the tombs of our nation’s heroes are not being desecrated by someone who doesn’t understand the meaning of service and sacrifice,” he continued.
Similar to how Trump’s fellow ceremony attendee, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, issued an apology on Wednesday for using campaign fundraising images in an email.
Cox stated on social media that the event in question was never meant to be utilized by the campaign and was never a campaign event. It ought not to have been sent because it did not follow the correct procedures. A statement of regret will be issued by my campaign.