Trump's Arlington Cemetery Visit: Legal Or Not?

On August 26, 2024, former US President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the deadly attack on US troops during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump's campaign team filmed the event for a campaign video, despite being warned not to do so. This resulted in an altercation with a cemetery staff member who tried to stop them. The incident has raised questions about the politicization of the military by Trump's campaign and whether Trump broke the law.

Trump staffers' physical altercation with a cemetery employee

On August 26, 2024, former President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the deadly attack on US troops during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visited Section 60, where US casualties from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are buried.

Trump's visit caused controversy as his campaign staff got into an altercation with a cemetery employee who tried to stop them from filming and photographing the event. Two Trump campaign staffers, deputy campaign manager Justin Caporale and Michel Picard, "abruptly pushed aside" the cemetery employee, who was attempting to enforce cemetery rules prohibiting photography or videography by anyone other than an official Arlington photographer.

Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, denied the allegations, stating that the employee was having a "mental health episode" and that the campaign was prepared to release footage to support his claim. However, no such footage has been released. Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, also criticized the cemetery worker, calling them a "despicable individual."

The Army issued a rare rebuke of the incident, stating that participants in the ceremony were made aware of federal laws prohibiting political activities on cemetery grounds. The Army also expressed disappointment in the unfair attacks on the employee, who acted with "professionalism and avoided further disruption." The employee declined to press charges, and the Army considers the matter closed.

Trump's campaign video criticising Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal

On August 26, 2024, former President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the deadly attack on US troops at Kabul airport's Abbey Gate in Afghanistan. Trump's visit came amid criticism of the Biden administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, which some have described as a catastrophe and a disaster.

Trump's campaign team filmed the event for a campaign video, despite being warned against doing so by cemetery officials. An altercation ensued when a cemetery employee attempted to prevent Trump's team from filming, with Trump's staff verbally abus [ing] and push [ing] the official aside. The video, which was posted on TikTok, showed Trump walking through the cemetery and visiting grave sites, with audio of him criticising the Biden administration's handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

The US Army issued a rebuke of Trump's campaign, stating that participants in the ceremony had been made aware of federal laws prohibiting political activity on cemetery grounds. The incident was reported to the police, but the employee ultimately decided not to press charges.

The Trump campaign's actions have been widely criticised, with some arguing that they disrespected the sacred nature of the cemetery and profaned the dignity of those buried there. The incident also sparked discussions about the importance of having journalists and editors with military experience to provide context and explain the true significance of events involving the military.

Trump's staffers' violation of federal law

On August 26, 2024, former President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the deadly attack on US troops during the Afghanistan withdrawal. Trump's staffers were accused of violating federal law by filming and photographing the event for a campaign video, despite being warned not to do so.

Arlington National Cemetery is a sacred place for members of the military and their families, especially Section 60, where those who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. Only cemetery staffers and approved photographers are permitted to film or take pictures there.

During the visit, Trump's staffers got into an altercation with a cemetery employee who tried to stop them from filming and photographing the event. The employee, a woman, was verbally abused and pushed out of the way by two Trump campaign staffers, identified as deputy campaign manager Justin Caporale and Michel Picard.

Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, denied the allegations and accused the cemetery employee of having a "mental health episode." No video footage of the altercation has been released, but Trump's campaign later posted a video from Section 60 on social media, which included footage of Trump next to the grave of a Green Beret, Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano, who died by suicide. The family of Master Sgt. Marckesano denied the campaign permission to film his grave.

The U.S. Army issued a rare rebuke of Trump's campaign over the incident, stating that participants in the ceremony were made aware of federal laws prohibiting political activities on cemetery grounds. The Army also criticized the Trump campaign for attacking the employee in the press and called the incident unfortunate.

The incident was reported to the police, but the employee decided not to press charges, and the Army considers the matter closed. However, the incident raised questions about the politicization of the military by Trump's campaign and sparked criticism from veterans' groups and the media.

Trump's staffers' violation of cemetery rules

On August 26, 2024, former President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the deadly attack on US troops during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump's staffers were involved in an incident with a cemetery employee who tried to stop them from filming and photographing the event for a campaign video.

Trump's staffers violated Arlington National Cemetery rules, which prohibit photography or videography other than that done by an official Arlington photographer. The staffers verbally abused the cemetery employee and pushed her out of the way. The employee did not press charges, but the incident was reported to the police.

The Trump campaign's use of footage from the cemetery marked a violation of the law against partisan actions at military cemeteries. The campaign may have had permission to film one headstone, but it did not have permission to film at least two others that appeared in the footage. One of these headstones belonged to a US Army Special Forces soldier who died by suicide, and his family had not given permission for their relative's grave to be filmed.

The US Army issued a rare rebuke of Trump's campaign over the incident, stating that participants in the ceremony had been made aware of federal laws prohibiting political activity at the cemetery. The Army also criticised the Trump campaign for attacking the employee in the press and making inflammatory statements about her.

Trump's staffers' verbal abuse of a cemetery employee

On August 26, 2024, former President Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the deadly attack on US troops during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump's staffers got into an altercation with a cemetery employee who tried to stop them from filming the event for a campaign video.

Sources, including NPR and Reuters, reported that two Trump campaign staffers "abruptly pushed aside" and "verbally abused" a cemetery employee who attempted to prevent them from filming and photographing in Section 60 of the cemetery, where US forces killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are buried. The staffers ignored warnings against taking photographs during a wreath-laying ceremony at the cemetery to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal.

Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, denied the allegations of a physical altercation and accused the cemetery employee of having a "mental health episode." Trump's campaign adviser, Chris LaCivita, called the employee a "despicable individual" and accused them of "spreading lies" and "dishonoring the men and women of [the] armed forces."

The US Army issued a rare rebuke of Trump's presidential campaign, stating that participants in the ceremony were made aware of federal laws prohibiting political activities on cemetery grounds. The Army expressed disappointment in the "unfair attacks" on the employee and praised their professionalism. The incident was reported to the police, but the employee decided not to press charges.

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