In August, Donald Trump was invited to Arlington National Cemetery to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the 13 service members killed during the Afghanistan War withdrawal in 2021. The invitation was extended by some of the families of the deceased service members. However, reports emerged that one of Trump’s campaign staffers was involved in an altercation at the cemetery. The staffer reportedly shoved a cemetery official who was attempting to prevent photography during the event. Federal law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within Army national military cemeteries.
The U.S. Army has released a heavily redacted version of the police report detailing the reported altercation involving Trump’s campaign staff at Arlington National Cemetery. The document was made public as a result of a lawsuit filed by government transparency group American Oversight, which demanded the release of the report. The names of the individuals involved in the incident were redacted, and the cemetery official’s sworn statement to the police was entirely blacked out. The report does mention that the cemetery worker declined medical treatment and did not want to press charges. The release of the report was ordered by a federal judge.
American Oversight’s interim executive director, Chioma Chukwu, released a statement expressing satisfaction with the public disclosure of the report. Chukwu emphasized that the incident at Arlington National Cemetery highlighted Trump’s alleged history of politicizing the military and disregarding ethical boundaries. The Army redacted portions of the report to protect personal privacy and information related to law enforcement purposes. The records are part of an ongoing investigation, and their release could potentially interfere with enforcement proceedings, according to senior counsel Paul DeAgostino.
The Trump campaign has previously disputed allegations surrounding the altercation at Arlington National Cemetery. They claimed that their team had permission to have a photographer present at the event and denied that a campaign staffer had pushed the cemetery official. Furthermore, they rejected the notion that the cemetery official had been unfairly targeted. The Army’s statement confirmed that the police investigation remains open, and they are unable to provide additional information at this time. The employee involved in the incident declined to press charges, leaving uncertainty regarding the ongoing law enforcement proceedings.
It was reported that prior to the incident at Arlington National Cemetery, the Trump campaign had been warned about not taking photographs in Section 60, where service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are laid to rest. Despite this, Trump explained during a campaign event in Michigan that family members had requested to take a photo with him at the cemetery. Trump vehemently denied claims that he was campaigning during the event and stated that he was simply honoring the request of the families. The Associated Press contributed to the initial reporting on this incident, shedding light on the complex dynamics surrounding the events at Arlington National Cemetery in August.
