Donald Trump faced new questions Thursday about a stunt the former president filmed at Arlington National Cemetery earlier this week. A photo of the 45th president giving a thumbs up was the first to appear, a very tacky, albeit typical, move for Trump. But new revelations continued to emerge throughout the day, including allegations of a physical altercation between Trump staffers and an Arlington staffer and the fact that Trump may have violated federal law while filming an ad at the cemetery.
It all started on Monday, when Trump showed up in Arlington to hold a wreath-laying ceremony for the 13 American service members who were killed at the Monastery Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal. , but Trump brought a crew to document his little stunt.
As the New York Times noted, Trump was in a strictly restricted area of the cemetery known as “Section 60,” which is primarily used for burials, when an Arlington staffer approached Trump’s camera crew. Used by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A physical altercation ensued, with Trump’s staff insisting they should be allowed to film their silly little commercial in a restricted area.
The Arlington staffer reportedly declined to press charges against Trump because it “could expose her to retaliation from Trump supporters,” according to the Times. This concern is legitimate given that Trump is the one who attempted to literally overthrow the U.S. government on January 6, 2021, and that his followers are among the most violent extremists.
The Trump campaign has tried to downplay the incident, with campaign spokesman Steven Chang going so far as to slander the Arlington staff member as mentally unstable on Wednesday.
Zhang told NPR: “The fact is that a private photographer was allowed into the premises, but for whatever reason an unnamed person who clearly suffered from mental health issues decided to do so in a very solemn setting. Members of President Trump’s team blocked the ceremony.
Zhang added to NPR: “We are prepared to release the video if such defamatory statements are made.” But the video showing details of the physical altercation has not yet been released, and NPR wrote that when reporters asked to see the video, the Trump campaign declined .
The Army issued a new statement Thursday about the incident, defending an unnamed staff member in Arlington (ANC) who was simply trying to enforce the rules.
“Participants in the Aug. 26 ceremony and subsequent Article 60 visit were briefed on federal law, Army regulations and Department of Defense policy, which expressly prohibit political activity at cemeteries. An ANC who sought to ensure compliance with these rules Employees were suddenly pushed aside,” an unnamed Army spokesman told CNN in a statement Thursday.
“This incident is unfortunate and it is equally unfortunate that ANC staff and their professionalism have been unfairly attacked. The ANC is a national shrine to the fallen soldiers of the armed forces and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure that public The ceremony was conducted with dignity and with respect for the dignity due to the nation’s fallen,” the statement continued.
The Trump campaign released several videos from the day, and Trump himself said in a video he made for social media, “We lost 13 great people. What a terrible day.” The U.S. military is officially stationed in Afghanistan under wartime conditions. Trump then insisted, “We didn’t lose a man in 18 months, and then they took over and left this disaster in Afghanistan.” Of course, that’s not the case. The Associated Press fact-checked his claims as early as 2022 and reported that Afghanistan went 18 months without casualties during his presidency.
But all this is beside the point. Trump clearly violated the law by attempting such a foolish move in a place widely revered as a place of quiet contemplation. As he does with everything, Trump turned it into a circus about himself.
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) August 26, 2024
According to the Washington Post, Trump’s filming at the cemetery violated 32 CFR § 553.32, which prohibits any politician from engaging in political activity at the location. The newspaper spoke with legal experts who stressed that “it would be a violation of federal law if the campaign were filmed at a wreath-laying ceremony for a partisan political event.”
Trump is struggling in national polls as he and Kamala Harris are just over two months away from Election Day. It’s clear that Trump will do whatever it takes to regain power, including violating federal law. With any luck, these efforts by the former president will fail. But before things get better on November 8, things may get even weirder.
