John Jefferson
Democrats are pressing the Arlington National Cemetery to release a log report into the photo-op scandal where Donald Trump campaign staffers “abruptly pushed aside” an official.
A number of Democrats have come forward since the altercation and say they want a full investigation into what happened.
At Monday’s wreath laying ceremony, a cemetery official tried to prevent Trump’s press secretary Steven Cheung and campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita – identified by The New York Times – from taking photos and videos inside a section where recent US casualties are buried.
The two campaign staffers allegedly verbally abused and pushed her to the side. Now congressman Gerry Connolly, a senior House Oversight Committee member, has urged Arlington Cemetery officials to “publicly release all that transpired”.
“It’s sad but all too expected that Donald Trump would desecrate this hallowed ground and put campaign politics ahead of honoring our heroes,” the Virginia representative said in a statement.
“This is a man whose own military generals have disavowed, a man who has called heroes like John McCain suckers and losers, a man who has insulted Gold Star families. His behavior and that of his campaign is abhorrent and shameful,” he added.
House Armed Services Committee member Pat Ryan told Axios he will be speaking with Congressional colleagues about “the proper next steps to ensure oversight and accountability.”
The army veteran, who served in Iraq, added: “This is sacred ground. We must not allow anyone to sully it with campaign theatrics.” Meanwhile, senator Tim Kaine told Axios he “want[s] to see the incident report”.
The US Army confirmed a female official was “abruptly pushed aside” during the altercation and filed an incident report with the military.
While she res unidentified, fear of backlash from MAGA supporters prompted her to decide not to press charges, the Times reported.
A US Army spokesperson told The Independent on Thursday that participants at Monday’s ceremony were made aware of federal laws and regulations prohibiting political activities on cemetery grounds.
“Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds,” the statement said.
“An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside. Consistent with the decorum expected at ANC, this employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption.
“The incident was reported to the JBM-HH police department, but the employee subsequently decided not to press charges. Therefore, the Army considers this matter closed.”
The statement continued: “This incident was unfortunate and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”
The incident, first reported by NPR, took place while Trump was attending a commemoration ceremony for the 13 service members killed in the 2021 terror attack at Abbey Gate outside Kabul Airport.
When reached for comment by The Independent, Cheung denied there had been any physical altercation.
He also suggested the official was “clearly suffering from a mental health episode.”
Trump also shared a statement from some family members of the 13 dead service members, claiming the Republican nomination and his team “conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect.”
Read the full article here