Trump Campaign Staff had Altercation with Official at Arlington National Cemetery

[loveofourlord]

I'm guessing that Trump came close to breaking the same rules Biden broke during his 2022 midterm speech.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/09/04/politics/home-front-biden-marines-philadelphia-speech-reaction

Of course, the difference is that Trump was invited by people who had a legitimate reason to be there....Biden's handlers just grabbed some marines to place on stage to help him look presidential.

I don't think these people at Arlington were under any illusion about the people who asked Trump to be there wanting some photos. It seems rather obvious they would be expecting to have some video or some photos taken. This was done to try and make him look bad....instead of respectful, liked, and presidential.

Rather petty.

yeah thats not how it would work, he would need EVERYONES permission not just a few, and even then the law doesn't make exceptions.

 

[loveofourlord]

The families who were actually there with Donald Trump appreciated him and the event. That is the most important part about this topic..... not what unnamed Army bureaucratic officials think about it, in my opinion.

actually the most important part is all the families who were NOT there, thats not how the law works.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Why would he apologize? He went there for a photo op, flaunting the rules. He got his photo and a little additional publicity/free air-time that his toadies will defend to the nth degree. He knows there are no ramifications. He does what he wants, when he wants, because he can.

idk why I keep giving him the benefit of the doubt. Most of these “insults” towards the military on his part strike me as more a mix of his being inarticulate and clueless than his being deliberately derisive. But there’s no way to spin Cheung’s comments that way. He’s just being a jerk. (I just learned he worked in communication for the UFC, so that seems on brand)

 

[loveofourlord]

idk why I keep giving him the benefit of the doubt. Most of these “insults” towards the military on his part strike me as more a mix of his being inarticulate and clueless than his being deliberately derisive. But there’s no way to spin Cheung’s comments that way. He’s just being a jerk. (I just learned he worked in communication for the UFC, so that seems on brand)

I think he's just so selfish he can't imagine someone wanting to risk dying to help their country. He did everything to get out of the wars in the past.

 

[NxNW]

This just in:

Somehow it's all Biden's fault! It was a setup!

 

[wing2000]

This just in:

Somehow it's all Biden's fault! It was a setup!

What else would you expect from a man who has never taken responsbiity for anything in his life? His campain's response to this incident is a reflection Trump himeself.

Never take resonsbility for one's actions.
Never admit one is wrong.
Instead, double down and demean others (Cemetary staff and the US Army), downplay the event and blame others.
That is Donald Trump. And many of his supporters cheer his behavior.

 

[rjs330]

There is a missing piece to this. Rhe families of the 13 fallen from the botched Afghanistan pull out ASKED Trump to go and take pictures etc. Well its true that he probably shouldn't have, he was asked to. He didn't show up on his own and just decide to do a photo op. He was responding to the fallen warriors families who wanted a leader to do something. They feel dishonored and pushed aside by Biden and Harris and they reached out to Trump who actually did something. Maybe it was wrong. But he did it for the right reasons.

These families deserve recognition. Bid and Harris screwed up the the withdrawal in many ways and it cost American lives. And rhe left in this country are more upset over some photographs that were taken on behalf of the families than the fact these warriors are in the ground because of Biden and Harris.

 

[JosephZ]

There is a missing piece to this. Rhe families of the 13 fallen from the botched Afghanistan pull out ASKED Trump to go and take pictures etc. Well its true that he probably shouldn't have, he was asked to. He didn't show up on his own and just decide to do a photo op. He was responding to the fallen warriors families who wanted a leader to do something. They feel dishonored and pushed aside by Biden and Harris and they reached out to Trump who actually did something. Maybe it was wrong. But he did it for the right reasons.

Trump being invited by the families isn't an issue. Neither is him posing for pictures with the families. The problem is that he exploited the deaths of our fallen soldiers and used their graves as props in a campaign video. In addition, people in his enterage assaulted a female who was trying to prevent Trump and those visiting the cemetery from breaking the rules that they were clearly given beforehand.

Bid and Harris screwed up the the withdrawal in many ways and it cost American lives.

The 13 soldiers killed at Abbey Gate were killed by a terrorist that detonated a bomb in a crowd. This could have happened at anytime anywhere in Afghanistan. It was unavoidable.

 

[iluvatar5150]

There is a missing piece to this. Rhe families of the 13 fallen from the botched Afghanistan pull out ASKED Trump to go and take pictures etc. Well its true that he probably shouldn't have, he was asked to. He didn't show up on his own and just decide to do a photo op. He was responding to the fallen warriors families who wanted a leader to do something. They feel dishonored and pushed aside by Biden and Harris and they reached out to Trump who actually did something. Maybe it was wrong. But he did it for the right reasons.

These families deserve recognition. Bid and Harris screwed up the the withdrawal in many ways and it cost American lives. And rhe left in this country are more upset over some photographs that were taken on behalf of the families than the fact these warriors are in the ground because of Biden and Harris.

I haven’t read all of the commentary, obviously, but I don’t recall anybody complaining about his being there at the families’ request. The complaints have been about his staff’s abhorrent behavior primarily, but also his (prohibited) use of the photos in campaign material.

 

[loveofourlord]

I haven’t read all of the commentary, obviously, but I don’t recall anybody complaining about his being there at the families’ request. The complaints have been about his staff’s abhorrent behavior primarily, but also his (prohibited) use of the photos in campaign material.

plus, as mentioned before, he would need EVERYONES permission not just some of them for it to be even legit, and even then it's still not allowed.

 

[rjs330]

I haven’t read all of the commentary, obviously, but I don’t recall anybody complaining about his being there at the families’ request. The complaints have been about his staff’s abhorrent behavior primarily, but also his (prohibited) use of the photos in campaign material.

Politicians have used these kinds of things all rhe time. I just watched a Biden ad rhat had him.at rhe cemetary. I don't remember ther being a lot of flack over that. Obama had one too. No flack. Rhe gold star families invited him and have defended Trump.

Some over zealous person decided they didn't like Trump and tried to step.in rhe middle of something the families wanted. I don't remember anyone trying to.stop Biden or Obama.

This is all I am going to.say on this subject. Trump was invited and Harris wasn't. It was because Harris and Biden botched the withdrawal and people died.
That should be the news story. Instead the Harris news agencies decided to make something out of this to try and help Harris.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Some over zealous person decided they didn't like Trump and tried to step.in rhe middle of something the families wanted.

Yeah, that’s certainly what Trump’s people have been saying. Given that the Army itself has publicly defended the individual and called out the Trump campaign for their behavior, it stands to reason that there was more than one overzealous person bothered by this.

I don't remember anyone trying to.stop Biden or Obama.

Perhaps they followed protocol while on site.

 

[NxNW]

Trump was invited and Harris wasn't.

Harris has a standing invitation. Trump tried to pull a publicity stunt and offended the entire Army.

It was because Harris and Biden botched the withdrawal

Never happened.

That should be the news story.

That's one who l way to spin it, but it's not what happened.

Instead the Harris news agencies decided to make something out of this to try and help Harris.

The Army is not a Harris news agency.

Trump disgraced himself. Again.

 

[wing2000]

That should be the news story. Instead the Harris news agencies decided to make something out of this to try and help Harris.

Yes, rjs330, let's just ignore the reaction of the Trump campaign shall we?
1) Ignored specific US Army instructions not to take their cameras into this section of the cemetary
2) Publicaly maligned the cemetary staff.
3) Deflectd responsibility and blame others.

Frankly, you sound like a campaing spokesperon lecturing how we should interpret the events of this shameful event. There is no excuse for this behavior.

 

[JosephZ]

John McCain’s son decries Trump appearance at Arlington as a ‘violation’ that turned cemetery into campaign backdrop

The youngest son of the late Sen. John McCain had already been moving away from the Republican Party — just weeks ago, he changed his voter registration to Democrat and plans to vote for Kamala Harris in November, he told CNN in an exclusive interview this week.

But he is speaking out now for the first time about Trump because of the former president’s conduct at the hallowed ground where several generations of McCain’s family, including his grandfather and great grandfather, are buried.

“It just blows me away,” McCain, who has served in the military for 17 years, told CNN. “These men and women that are laying in the ground there have no choice” of whether to be a backdrop for a political campaign, he said.

“I just think that for anyone who’s done a lot of time in their uniform, they just understand that inherently — that it’s not about you there. It’s about these people who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their country.”

McCain’s anger over the Arlington episode was also particularly acute because when it happened, he had just returned from a seven-month deployment to a small US base on the Jordan-Syria border known as Tower 22.

He arrived there just weeks after three US service members were killed on the base in a drone attack by Iran-backed militants, and he says he thought of them when he saw Trump posing last Monday in front of gravestones.

“It was a violation,” McCain said. “That mother, that sister, those families, see that — and it’s a painful experience.”

 

[JosephZ]

Trump deputy campaign manager identified in Arlington National Cemetery dustup

One of two staffers involved in the altercation at Arlington National Cemetery is a deputy campaign manager for Donald Trump’s reelection bid, NPR has learned. The former president insisted this week the incident did not happen, highlighting a growing disconnect between the messaging of the candidate and his campaign.

The two staffers, according to a source with knowledge of the incident, are deputy campaign manager Justin Caporale and Michel Picard, a member of Trump’s advance team.

Caporale is a one time aide to former first lady Melania Trump who left the White House to work for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis before returning to the Trump campaign. He was also listed as the on-site contact and project manager for the Women for America First rally in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021 where Trump urged the crowd to “stop the steal” before some of them stormed the U.S. Capitol.

 

[JosephZ]

Politicians have used these kinds of things all rhe time. I just watched a Biden ad rhat had him.at rhe cemetary.

A Biden ad that featured Arlington National Cemetery differs from a Trump campaign effort

After news broke about an altercation at the Arlington National Ceremony involving former President Donald Trump’s staff, some social media users drew parallels between that incident and a years-old campaign ad by President Joe Biden at the same location.

Users on X resurfaced a May 25, 2020, Memorial Day campaign ad that President Joe Biden shared on his official X account. It featured a photo, dated May 31, 2010, of Biden standing over a tombstone.

The circumstances surrounding the two events are different. The photo of Biden at Section 60 was taken while he was performing his duties as vice president, not as part of a campaign.

At the time, Biden was not running for office. He was sworn in as vice president Jan. 20, 2009. Former President Barack Obama launched his reelection bid with Biden on April 4, 2011.

Biden’s ad, which honored the military and fallen service members’ families, also included this disclaimer at the start of the video: “The use of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) visual information does not imply or constitute endorsement of the U.S. military, any military personnel or the Department of Defense.”

An X post said that Biden “did a campaign ad at the graves in Arlington in 2020.”

Biden shared a 2020 campaign ad that included a photo taken at Arlington National Cemetery, but it was taken in 2010 as part of his vice presidential duties, not as part of a campaign activity.

The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression.

 

[essentialsaltes]

In response to FOIA request, judge orders DOD to turn over records by Friday from Trump's Arlington National Cemetery incident​

American Oversight, a watchdog group filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit against DOD to obtain the incident report of the alleged Aug. 26 incident involving a member of Trump's campaign and the cemetery staff member.

In the days following the incident, the Army defended the cemetery staffer, saying the person had been "unfairly attacked."

Trump's campaign insisted its aides acted appropriately and promised to release video they said would exonerate its staff. That video has not been released.

 

[Belk]

In response to FOIA request, judge orders DOD to turn over records by Friday from Trump's Arlington National Cemetery incident​

American Oversight, a watchdog group filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit against DOD to obtain the incident report of the alleged Aug. 26 incident involving a member of Trump's campaign and the cemetery staff member.

In the days following the incident, the Army defended the cemetery staffer, saying the person had been "unfairly attacked."

Trump's campaign insisted its aides acted appropriately and promised to release video they said would exonerate its staff. That video has not been released.

It is right next to Trumps taxes and medical records.

 

[essentialsaltes]

In response to FOIA request, judge orders DOD to turn over records by Friday from Trump's Arlington National Cemetery incident​

An Army report released by a government transparency organization late Friday described an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery involving Trump campaign staff members as a “simple assault,” and affirmed that a cemetery employee gave a statement to police and did not wish to press charges.

The redacted document was published by the nonprofit Government Oversight, which had sued the federal government, and then was released several minutes later by the Army.

“The law enforcement investigation into the incident remains open and we are therefore unable to provide further information at this time,” Army officials said in an email to reporters.