There was an incident at the cemetery, according to officials.
The campaign of former President Donald Trump has denied reports of an altercation between campaign staffers and an official at Arlington National Cemetery.
Reports suggest that the alleged altercation occurred when the official informed the campaign that no photos or videos were allowed.
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, stated in an email to The Epoch Times that, “There was no physical altercation as described, and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.” He added, “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.”
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Cheung did not provide the original message or footage he mentioned.
Chris LaCivita, Trump’s campaign manager, stated in a separate comment, “A nameless bureaucrat at Arlington whose job it is to preserve the dignity of the cemetery is doing the complete opposite in trying to make what was a very solemn and respectful event into something it was not.”
A spokesperson for Arlington National Cemetery confirmed that “there was an incident, and a report was filed.”
The spokesperson added, “Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, including photographers, content creators, or any other persons attending for purposes or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.” They reiterated that the cemetery had communicated this law and its restrictions to all participants.
Cemetery officials declined to provide additional details to protect the identity of the individual involved.
Trump visited the cemetery to participate in a ceremony with relatives of service members who died during the U.S. forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The relatives mentioned that they had authorized Trump’s official videographer and photographer to ensure the event was documented for lasting memories.
They also praised Trump and his team for their respectful and dignified behavior.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris did not attend the ceremony. The White House stated that Biden was in Delaware, while Harris was in Washington for briefings and meetings with staff.
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