Trump Campaign Staff had Altercation with Official at Arlington National Cemetery

[JosephZ]

Two members of Donald Trump’s campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation Monday with an official at Arlington National Cemetery where the former president participated in a wreath laying ceremony, NPR has learned.

A source with knowledge of the incident said the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried. The source said Arlington officials had made clear that only cemetery staff members are authorized to take photographs or film in the area, known as Section 60.

When the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump campaign staff from entering Section 60, campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside, according to the source.

In a statement to NPR, Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign spokesman, strongly rejected the notion of a physical altercation, adding: "We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.

The Trump campaign declined to make that footage immediately available.

In a statement to NPR, Arlington National Cemetery said it "can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed."

https://www.npr.org/2024/08/27/nx-s1-5091154/trump-arlington-cemetery

 

[NxNW]

The resulting photograph shows Trump and staff smiling and giving a big thumbs-up while standing on the grave of a Marine. I'm sure the right will be objecting any minute now over the blatant disrespect.

 

[Daniel Marsh]

He visited me when he was in Michigan.

 

[wing2000]

...disgusting:

In a statement to NPR, Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign's spokesman, strongly rejected the notion of a physical altercation, adding: "We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.

"The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team during a very solemn ceremony," Cheung said in the statement.


"Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate's campaign," according to the statement. "Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants."

 

[AlexB23]

...disgusting:

In a statement to NPR, Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign's spokesman, strongly rejected the notion of a physical altercation, adding: "We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.

"The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team during a very solemn ceremony," Cheung said in the statement.


"Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate's campaign," according to the statement. "Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants."

Agreed. This is totally disgusting by Trump to be using a graveyard, especially a hallowed ground where soldiers are buried to be gallivanting around with his campaign. Yet another reason why I will be voting 3rd party in 2024. The lack of respect, poor etiquette and general lack of classiness from either side seems astonishing and unprecedented in recent history.

-----------------------------
1a. Also, for reference, the man who passed away in March 2020, on the leftmost grave (Moises) died fighting against IS militants. Prayers for Moises, that he may rest in peace with God above.

2a. The woman who passed away on the central gravestone (Nicole) died in August 2021 after an explosion rocked the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. Prayers for Nicole, that she may rest in peace with God above. All the war information about these two heroes are publicly available.

1b. Moises:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/marine-from-maryland-dies-while-battling-islamic-state-militants/2020/03/10/c805e2be-62e2-11ea-b3fc-7841686c5c57_story.html

2b. Nicole:

Gee, Nicole Leeann | Mid American Veterans Museum

mavm.org

 

[Pommer]

"Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate's campaign," according to the statement. "Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants."

Is it generally a good thing to (accidentally) break-the-law whilst awaiting sentencing for past crimes?

 

[essentialsaltes]

[Trump campaign spox] Cheung also claimed, without providing evidence or details, that “an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”

Responding to an inquiry about an alleged altercation during Trump’s visit, Arlington National Cemetery issued a statement that read: “We can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed.” The organization did not share more details. It was not immediately clear to whom the report was filed, but the incident occurred on U.S. Army property. Army headquarters and the service’s criminal investigation division did not immediately respond to requests Tuesday night for clarification.

Visitors have long taken graveside photographs in Arlington National Cemetery, including in Section 60. But in a statement released on Tuesday, defense officials drew a distinction between Trump’s actions and those of typical visitors.

“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” the cemetery’s statement said. “Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”

On Tuesday night, the campaign shared a statement from five relatives of slain U.S. service members who said they gave permission for Trump’s official photographer and videographer to join the cemetery visit on Monday and wanted the event to be “respectfully captured.”

[Whether that's so or not, the incident and the photographs/footage have certainly been used for partisan political campaigning. This was not a private citizen attending a private ceremony.]

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, "

O, just another law broken by he who is above the law.

 

[DaisyDay]

Is it generally a good thing to (accidentally) break-the-law whilst awaiting sentencing for past crimes?

No, but Donald gets the top tier of the justice system.

 

[essentialsaltes]

WaPo updated story from #7:

The defense official familiar with the issue backed the cemetery employee, saying that while the campaign was permitted to bring a photographer to the cemetery, “it was right” to remind campaign employees that there were different rules in other parts of the facility.

[e.g. at the actual gravesites]

 

[JosephZ]

Trump made a TikTok video of his visit.

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7407571442088430878
“There is no more hallowed ground in this nation than Arlington Cemetery…I think it should be investigated…no person or party on either side should ever use Arlington National Cemetery…for partisan political purposes.” -- Mark Esper, Lieutenant Colonel US Army and Former Secretary of Defense under Trump

 

[JosephZ]

Trump Images at Grave Dismay Family of Green Beret Buried at Arlington

The family of a Green Beret who died by suicide after serving roughly a dozen combat tours and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery expressed concern on Wednesday that Donald J. Trump’s campaign had filmed his gravesite without permission as Mr. Trump stood in an area where campaign photography isn’t allowed.

Relatives of Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano issued their statement two days after Mr. Trump’s visit, which also included a confrontation between members of the Trump campaign and an Arlington employee. The former president’s campaign took video in a heavily restricted section of the cemetery known as Section 60, which is largely reserved for the fallen veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

A woman who works at the cemetery filed an incident report with the military authorities over the altercation. But the official, who has not been identified, later declined to press charges. Military officials said she feared Mr. Trump’s supporters pursuing retaliation.

 

[AlexB23]

Trump Images at Grave Dismay Family of Green Beret Buried at Arlington

The family of a Green Beret who died by suicide after serving roughly a dozen combat tours and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery expressed concern on Wednesday that Donald J. Trump’s campaign had filmed his gravesite without permission as Mr. Trump stood in an area where campaign photography isn’t allowed.

Relatives of Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano issued their statement two days after Mr. Trump’s visit, which also included a confrontation between members of the Trump campaign and an Arlington employee. The former president’s campaign took video in a heavily restricted section of the cemetery known as Section 60, which is largely reserved for the fallen veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

A woman who works at the cemetery filed an incident report with the military authorities over the altercation. But the official, who has not been identified, later declined to press charges. Military officials said she feared Mr. Trump’s supporters pursuing retaliation.

Prayers for Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano, and his family. What Trump did was totally dishonoring the soldiers that died (either in combat, or from self-harm).

 

[iluvatar5150]

I'm sure the right will be objecting any minute now over the blatant disrespect.

Why would they object to this true story when there are so many bogus ones to get mad about?

 

[dzheremi]

All I'm going to say is that if I died while serving in Afghanistan only to have my grave used for a terrible photo op with a smiling felon who apparently thinks that he's a combination of God and the Fonz, I'd haunt everyone on his team good.

 

[AlexB23]

All I'm going to say is that if I died while serving in Afghanistan only to have my grave used for a terrible photo op with a smiling felon who apparently thinks that he's a combination of God and the Fonz, I'd haunt everyone on his team good.

Agreed. Same here. I will haunt Trump and his team for all eternity if I was a soldier who died in a war who had my grave used for a photo op.

 

[wing2000]

A tale of two GOP campaigns: Gov Spencer Cox recognized his error, and, like a real man, apologized for it.....the other campaign....well read for yourself:

Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, who published one photo of himself and Mr. Trump standing behind the graves on social media, apologized on Wednesday for including other photos of the visit to Section 60 in a campaign email that solicited donations.

“This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used by the campaign,” Mr. Cox said on social media. “It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent. My campaign will be sending out an apology.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Two Trump campaign officials, Mr. Cheung and Chris LaCivita, had insulted the cemetery worker in public statements on Tuesday. Mr. Cheung asserted that she was “suffering from a mental health episode” while Mr. LaCivita said that she was a “despicable individual” who “does not deserve to represent the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”

Military officials said that the cemetery worker feared that pursuing the matter with the authorities at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, which has jurisdiction over the cemetery, could subject her to retaliation from Trump supporters. Mr. Cheung said in a statement on Wednesday that “that is ridiculous and sounds like someone who has Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The Trump team had said it was prepared to release footage of the altercation, but never did.

Trump Videos at Arlington Stir More Fallout After Gravesite Visit

The family of a Green Beret buried there expressed concern about videos and photos taken by his grave. And a cemetery employee declined to press charges after an altercation with the Trump team, fearing retribution.

www.nytimes.com

 

[AlexB23]

A tale of two GOP campaigns: Gov Spencer Cox recognized his error, and, like a real man, apologized for it.....the other campaign....well read for yourself:

Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, who published one photo of himself and Mr. Trump standing behind the graves on social media, apologized on Wednesday for including other photos of the visit to Section 60 in a campaign email that solicited donations.

“This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used by the campaign,” Mr. Cox said on social media. “It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent. My campaign will be sending out an apology.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Two Trump campaign officials, Mr. Cheung and Chris LaCivita, had insulted the cemetery worker in public statements on Tuesday. Mr. Cheung asserted that she was “suffering from a mental health episode” while Mr. LaCivita said that she was a “despicable individual” who “does not deserve to represent the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”

Military officials said that the cemetery worker feared that pursuing the matter with the authorities at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, which has jurisdiction over the cemetery, could subject her to retaliation from Trump supporters. Mr. Cheung said in a statement on Wednesday that “that is ridiculous and sounds like someone who has Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The Trump team had said it was prepared to release footage of the altercation, but never did.

Trump Videos at Arlington Stir More Fallout After Gravesite Visit

The family of a Green Beret buried there expressed concern about videos and photos taken by his grave. And a cemetery employee declined to press charges after an altercation with the Trump team, fearing retribution.

www.nytimes.com

Gov Spencer Cox should distance himself from Trump at this point, and never hang with Donald ever again. It is good that Mr. Cox apologized for his actions like a genuine adult should.

 

[essentialsaltes]

This all could have been avoided if the Trump team could just follow rules that were explicitly spelled out for them well in advance.
Army officials hoped clear rules would avoid a damaging public spat with Trump. He gave them one anyway.
Earlier this month, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign contacted military officials about visiting Arlington National Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the Islamic State bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members during the evacuation from Afghanistan.

Officials said they wanted to respect the wishes of grieving family members who wanted Trump there, but at the same time were wary of Trump’s record of politicizing the military. So they laid out ground rules they hoped would wall off politics from the final resting place of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.

Instead, they got sucked into exactly the kind of crisis they were hoping to avoid.

In advance of the event, cemetery officials told Trump’s team that he could come in his personal capacity and bring personal aides, but not campaign staff. Campaign advisers went anyway.

The first part went according to plan. With full media coverage, Trump and two Marines injured in the bombing, Tyler Vargas-Andrews and Kelsee Lainhart, laid a wreath at the tomb, a monument dedicated to deceased U.S. troops whose remains have not been identified or recovered. The press then returned to a holding area, specifically instructed that reporters and cameras would not accompany Trump and bereaved families to Section 60.

[This is why there is no media footage of the altercation -- everyone else was obeying the rules.]

But Trump officials said they did not view the campaign’s own photographer and videographer as subject to the same restrictions, so they continued on to Section 60. Their arrival there prompted the standoff with the cemetery employee over the rules.

“If the campaign feels the need to defend their team’s actions — which include bullying and physically pushing out of the way a longtime public servant and member of the team at Arlington working to protect the sanctity of the sacred spaces — then that’s on them,” one defense official said. “The rules were made clear to participants, and these two chose to disregard those rules. End of story.”

Trump has repeatedly defied restrictions on using federal property for campaign purposes by staging a political speech at Mount Rushmore, participating in a television interview inside the Lincoln Memorial, and holding the 2020 Republican National Convention at the White House itself.

 

[JosephZ]

Donald Trump Arlington Cemetery TikTok Ripped by Ex-Staffer: 'Disgraceful'

A former staffer for former President Donald Trump has said that the video Trump posted on TikTok about his Monday visit to Arlington National Cemetery was "disgraceful and disparaging to veterans."

Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served as press secretary for former Vice President Mike Pence and as an assistant to Trump in 2020, said on CNN that her former boss violated protocol at the cemetery.

"It was deeply inappropriate," Farah Griffin said about the TikTok post. "A professional team would have known that."

"I did a number of these events at Arlington National Cemetery with Vice President Pence and there's a process you go through, there's protocol," she said. "You work with Arlington National Cemetery, you work with officials from the Pentagon, and there are very strict rules of where you can be. You need certain permissions and photography is only allowed in certain places.

"There are so many ways to do that [to honor the soldiers who died] that is not disgraceful and disparaging to Veterans, the way that this was handled."

Trump's campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung denied that the campaign was prohibited from filming in Section 60, and posted a screenshot on his X account that stated Trump's campaign had permission to bring a photographer or videographer, "outside the main media pool."

Cheung insulted the Arlington staff member who "tried to physically block" the photographer from entering Section 60, saying they were "suffering from a mental health episode."

Another campaign official Chris LaCivita called the staff member a "despicable individual" who "does not deserve to represent the [hallowed] grounds of Arlington National Cemetery."



The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) has criticized former President Donald Trump for "politicking" on "sacred ground" during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

IAVA chief executive Allison Jaslow told Newsweek that Arlington should be free from politics. "When I visit Section 60, it is to honor the fallen and remind myself that I was one of the lucky ones who made it home," she said. "There are plenty of places appropriate for politics—Arlington is not one of them."

Despite being told by a cemetery official not to do so, the Trump campaign took photographs and video footage in Section 60, an area reserved for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Any aspiring elected official, especially one who hopes to be Commander-in-Chief, should not be confused about that fact. Nor should they hide behind members of our community to justify politicking on such sacred ground."

Trump has faced backlash, first after his campaign staff had an altercation with a cemetery official trying to prevent them from taking videos and photographs in Section 60, and later for posting footage of the event in a TikTok video that included partisan remarks.