A controversy over the Trump campaign’s behavior during Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery last Monday has stretched for days with no end in sight.
In part, the controversy is about law: Federal law prohibits campaigning or campaigning at military cemeteries. In a larger sense, it’s another example of Trump’s flouting of long-standing norms of decorum and moral behavior — to the chagrin of many, but not all.
Trump’s team, it seems clear, wanted to use the visit to the military cemetery for political advantage. When a staff member at the cemetery tried to stop Trump campaign aides from taking photos and taking photos near the graves of service members, a Trump aide physically pushed him aside.
Furthermore, once word of the incident leaked, Trump campaign aides surprisingly insulted the cemetery staff on personal terms.
In one fell swoop, Trump’s team was able to violate rules against politicizing veterans’ sacrifices, trolling people, and making ugly personal attacks.
Trump’s campaign has defended itself by saying that family members of service members who were commemorated that day did not protest his actions. Several of them saved Trump, and those who invited Trump to the cemetery in the first place, are partly to blame They blame Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal over the death of a loved one.
What exactly happened to Trump at Arlington National Cemetery?
Monday was August 26, 2021, the third anniversary of the Kabul airport attack – a suicide bombing that killed 13 US service members during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Some family members of the victims blamed the attacks on the Biden administration’s handling of the recall and aligned themselves with the Trump campaign — including attending At the Republican National Convention In July and while planning a ceremony at Arlington Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the attack, they invited Trump.
Because it’s the height of the presidential campaign season, and because Trump has long criticized the Biden administration Handling During the withdrawal from Afghanistan, US defense officials were concerned that the event might become inappropriately or even illegally politicized, The Washington Post reports — It was a campaign event in disguise.
So officials have imposed some restrictions. One is that Trump wasn’t supposed to bring his campaign staff. Another was, after an initial ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that was open to the press, visits to individual veterans’ graves in a section of Trump’s cemetery. Primarily reserved for Iraq and Afghanistan veteransWill be private.
But Trump brought in campaign aides anyway. And two of those aides — a campaign photographer and a videographer — tried to accompany Trump to separate graves. An Arlington Cemetery staff member tried to stop the helpers, but, per post“A larger male campaign aide insisted that the camera was allowed and pushed past the cemetery employee, leaving him stunned.” According to NPRTrump campaign workers also “verbally abused” the official.
After the ceremony, the Trump campaign held a press call where several family members of soldiers killed in Kabul praised Trump and criticized Biden and Harris.
What happened since then?
The news of this conflict came to light on Tuesday NPR reported the incident. Trump campaign spokeswoman claimed They had permission to bring a photographer.
They also claimed that the cemetery staff member was not pushed – but cruelly taunted him anyway. Trump’s spokesman, Steven Cheung, insisted that he was “clearly suffering from an illness Mental health episode” and co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita called him “disgusting.” (He was not named, and The New York Times reported that military officials “feared that the employee would face retaliation from Trump supporters if his identity was known.”).
Trump’s team too Post a statement From several family members of the two soldiers killed in the Kabul attack. “We authorized President Trump’s official videographer and photographer to attend the event,” the statement said. (The family’s permission, however, has no effect on federal laws prohibiting campaign activities in cemeteries.)
“The president and his team have done nothing but the utmost respect and dignity,” the family member’s statement continued.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican who also attended, Posted a photo where Trump stood in front of a grave with some veterans and family members and gave the thumbs up.
Then Trump’s team Created a TikTok video Along with footage of grave visits, a voiceover of Trump blaming the Biden administration for the deaths of veterans — clearly using the event for political purposes.
Family members of a Green Beret whose grave is seen in these photos and videos (but who was not killed in the Kabul attack) issued a statement. express concern That Trump associates did not follow cemetery rules regarding taking pictures and taking pictures.
On Thursday, the U.S. Army — which operates Arlington National Cemetery — issued its own statement A cemetery staff member backed up and claimed that he was indeed “suddenly pushed aside” to try to assure compliance with the ban on political activity on the cemetery grounds.
“This incident is unfortunate, and it is unfortunate that ANC activists and their professionalism have been unfairly attacked,” the statement said. However, as it went on, the employee decided not to press charges, so the Army now “considers this matter closed.”
