While visiting Arlington National Cemetery for a memorial wreath ceremony to honor the victims of the Kabul Airport bombing, former President Donald Trump’s campaign staff members allegedly got into a dispute with cemetery staff members.
The Trump campaign was quick to dispute the events, reported by NPR. Its response was backed by the family members of several of the victims.
“There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made,” Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “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.”
Trump’s team has not released footage of the alleged encounter.
Trump campaign manager and Marine Corps veteran Chris LaCivita backed up the telling of events, calling the person who challenged the campaign staff “despicable.”
“President Trump was there on the invitation of the Abbey Gate Gold Star Families to honor their loved ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country,” LaCivita said. “For a despicable individual to physically prevent President Trump’s team from accompanying him to this solemn event is a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”
According to the ANC website, photography is permitted on the cemetery grounds, but members of the media must be accompanied by a media escort. The only other relevant policy on the website says that the solemnity of the cemetery must be respected.
Another relevant law is 32 CFR § 553.32(c), which holds that “All memorial services and ceremonies within Army National Military Cemeteries, other than official ceremonies, shall be purely memorial in purpose,” and “Memorial services and ceremonies at Army National Military Cemeteries will not include partisan political activities.”
Cheung said the campaign photographer was approved beforehand. The source alleging the altercation told NPR that the photographer was not approved in a certain section of the cemetery, where the alleged altercation took place.
Army veteran Lucas O’Hara, who attended the ceremony, said it was respectful and did not involve partisan political activity.
“I have witnessed over 75 wreath laying ceremonies performed by politicians and conducted 524 funerals in this cemetery during the time I served in the Presidential Honor Guard for three years,” he said. “What I got to witness yesterday was the most respectful and solemn ceremony I have seen.”
“There were no speeches, no angles, no weird photo ops just our elected officials and the 45th President respectfully and solemnly honoring the fallen and their families,” O’Hara added.
“Whoever this individual is spreading these lies are dishonoring the men and women of our armed forces, and they are disrespecting everyone who paid the price for defending our country,” LaCivita said.
The Trump campaign was also backed by the parents of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover and the mother-in-law, sister, and aunt of Sgt. Nicole Gee — two of the Abbey Gate victims. They said in a joint statement that they had given approval for Trump’s official videographer and photographer to attend the event.
Trump and his team had “conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children,” they said in the joint statement.
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“We are deeply grateful to the president for taking the time to honor our children and for standing alongside us in our grief, offering his unwavering support during such a difficult time,” they added. “His compassion and respect meant more than words can express.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Arlington National Cemetery.
