Officials at Arlington National Cemetery have reported an incident involving members of Donald Trump’s campaign staff who allegedly shoved and verbally abused an employee during a photo opportunity at the cemetery. The incident occurred after Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony for 13 US servicemen and women killed in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan.
According to Arlington, political campaign activities are prohibited at Army National Military Cemeteries, and only cemetery representatives are allowed to take photos in certain sections. The cemetery filed a report over the altercation with the Trump staffers, who allegedly pushed and verbally abused the cemetery official.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, downplayed the incident as a media exaggeration and criticized Kamala Harris for the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump’s behavior at the cemetery, where he posed for photos and gave a thumbs-up, drew criticism, especially from the family of a fallen serviceman buried at Arlington who said permission was not given for filming.
The Trump campaign attempted to shift the narrative, with officials calling the cemetery representative a “despicable individual” and claiming they were experiencing a mental health episode. Former defense secretary Mark Esper called for an investigation into the incident, emphasizing that partisan political activities should not take place at the cemetery. Trump has previously tried to capitalize politically on the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, blaming Biden and Harris for undermining American credibility. Veterans groups and family members of service members buried at Arlington expressed disappointment over the incident.
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Photo credit www.theguardian.com
