A worker at Arlington National Cemetery “abruptly pushed aside” by the Trump campaign will not press charges, announced a U.S. Army spokesperson on Aug. 29. The Trump campaign meanwhile has denied the allegation and blamed the incident on a person “suffering from a mental health episode” for trying to block a private photographer.
Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, visited the Virginia cemetery, where U.S. Army service members are laid to rest, on Aug. 26 to commemorate the third anniversary of the bombing at Abbey Gate outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
During the visit, according to the spokesperson, there was an incident in which an Arlington National Cemetery employee sought to enforce the rules, which prohibit political campaign activities on cemetery grounds. These activities included campaign officials filming the president during his visit as opposed to cemetery staff doing so.
“Consistent with the decorum expected at ANC, this employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption,” the spokesperson said.
The matter was reported to military police and the employee declined to pursue charges, according to the Army.
The spokesperson said that the case is closed.
“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked,” the spokesperson said.
“ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve.”
The Trump campaign has denied there was a physical altercation and said it has video to refute the allegation.
“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 campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Epoch Times.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), said the story is a media story.
“The altercation at Arlington Cemetery is the media creating a story where I really don’t think that there is one,” he said at an Aug. 28 campaign event.
“Apparently somebody at Arlington cemetery, some staff member, had a little disagreement with somebody, and they have turned, the media has turned this, into a national news story.”
