"Unfairly attacked": Army says Arlington employee "pushed aside" at cemetery
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump stands alongside Bill Barnett, whose grandson Staff Sgt Darin Taylor Hoover died in Abbey Gate Bombing, during a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The U.S. Army rebuked the Trump campaign on Thursday, issuing a statement over an encounter at Arlington National Cemetary earlier this week and confirming that a cemetery employee was "abruptly pushed aside" while the former president was visiting the grounds.
Why it matters: The apparent altercation between former President Trump's aides and an Arlington official ignited intense scrutiny over the Trump campaign's seemingly political use of the sacred site.
- The U.S. Army oversees the management of Arlington National Cemetery, as well as enforcing rules pertaining to filming or photography on the property.
The latest: An Army spokesperson said in a statement that participants in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a visit to Section 60 "were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds."
- The exchange between the ANC employee and Trump's staff occurred when the employee tried to "ensure adherence" to the site's rules prohibiting the use of the grounds for political purposes, the statement said.
- The spokesperson added, "the incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked."
- The statement said that while the incident was reported to police at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, the employee decided not to press charges.
- The New York Times reported that the ANC employee declined to press charges for fear of retaliation from Trump supporters.
Zoom out: The Washington Post reported that cemetery officials told Trump's team that he could visit in his "personal capacity and bring personal aides, but not campaign staff."
- The Trump campaign has insisted it was "granted access to have a photographer" on the grounds and told Axios it is "weighing options" on whether to release footage of the altercation.
- The incident occurred after Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony remembering the third anniversary of a suicide bombing in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. service members as American forces withdrew from the country.
What they're saying: The Army said it considers the matter closed, a sentiment echoed by Trump's campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung in a statement to Axios.
- "As the Army has said, they consider this matter closed. President Trump was there to support the Gold Star families and honor the sacrifices their loved ones made," he said.
The bottom line: The official tried to stop staffers from filming and taking photos in Section 60, NPR reported.
- But a video shared on Trump's TikTok page showed a series of clips from his visit, including footage from Section 60, captioned, "Should have never happened."
- The sister of Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano, whose grave could be clearly seen in photos from the visit that were published online, told the New York Times that according to their conversations with the cemetery, "Trump campaign staffers did not adhere to the rules that were set in place for this visit to Staff Sergeant Hoover's gravesite in Section 60, which lays directly next to my brother's grave."
- VoteVets, a liberal veterans group, responded to the TikTok, writing in a post on X, "His deplorable acts know no bounds."
Go deeper: What are the rules for filming at Arlington National Cemetery?
