Army Criticizes Trump Campaign for Misconduct at Arlington Cemetery
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The US Army has rebuked former President Donald Trump and his campaign for using the Arlington National Cemetery for political purposes, a violation of federal law. The incident involved a Trump aide pushing aside an employee at the cemetery who attempted to prevent the campaign from filming in a prohibited area. The Trump campaign later posted a video from the location on TikTok while criticizing the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, despite being made aware of federal laws against political activity at the cemetery.
A Trump campaign member forcibly bypassed an employee trying to stop illegal filming in Arlington National Cemetery.
The US Army has censured ex-President Donald Trump and his campaign for exploiting Arlington National Cemetery, where approximately 400,000 US veterans are buried, for political gain. A Trump aide forcefully overrode an employee trying to enforce filming restrictions.
Trump’s team visited the cemetery to commemorate the third anniversary of the Islamic State’s attack that claimed 13 American service members during the Afghanistan evacuation.
An attempt by the cemetery’s public affairs director to stop the illegal filming in a restricted area resulted in a Trump campaigner pushing past the employee, the Army’s statement revealed.
A video was subsequently shared on TikTok by the Trump team, showing Trump walking through the cemetery and criticizing Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.
Under federal law, election-related activities are prohibited in Army National Military Cemeteries. Trump’s team was informed of this legislation.
Section 60, a specific area in the cemetery, is mainly reserved for service members who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past two decades.
Following the incident, two Trump campaign officials publicly insulted the cemetery worker. The Trump campaign claimed it intended to release footage of the dispute, but did not.
In response, the Army supported the employee and regretted the Trump campaign’s criticism. The Army stated it considers this issue closed since the employee chose not to press charges.
Although some families of the 13 soldiers killed in the Afghanistan withdrawal approved the filming, others did not endorse and yet had their loved one’s grave included in the media shared by Trump’s team on social media. One such grave belonged to Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano, a Silver Star recipient who died in 2020.
Several veterans and veterans organizations have also expressed disapproval of the Trump campaign’s actions at the cemetery.
Green Beret Foundation’s president and CEO, Charlie Iacono, confirmed the foundation’s full support for the Marckesano family. He emphasized that all military cemeteries should uphold policies that honor their residents.
Allison Jaslow, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, stated that Arlington is not an appropriate venue for politics. On Monday, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton called the incident “repugnant”, and in a statement to USA TODAY on Wednesday, 22-year Army combat veteran Fred Wellman expressed his own fury over the incident.
Eaton, a senior advisor at VoteVets, condemned the campaign’s actions as “nauseating” and said it was abhorrent to engage in political disputes on grounds intended for grieving Gold Star families.
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