Furious': Veterans slam Trump team's altercation at Arlington National Cemetery
Furious': Veterans slam Trump team's altercation at Arlington National Cemetery
Story by Rachel Barber, Josh Meyer, Zac Anderson and Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY
Washington: Some veterans reacted with alarm to reports of an altercation between a member of Donald Trump's entourage and a top official at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, with a retired Army general calling the incident "repugnant."
Two sources told USA TODAY the incident occurred when a member of Trump's team pushed his way into recording in a part of the cemetery, known as Section 60, where photography is prohibited.
Video from Section 60, where recently buried U.S. service members are interred, later appeared in a Trump campaign Tik Tok in which he criticizes President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival for the presidency.
"Donald Trump has no right to use our most hallowed ground for his political aims," Fred Wellman, a 22-year Army combat veteran, said Wednesday. "For a lot of us, and I'm not the only one, people are aptly furious."
The incident occurred Monday after Trump laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor the 13 Americans slain in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport three years ago during the chaotic U.S. pullout from Afghanistan.
After laying the wreaths, Trump and members of his team accompanied family members of a slain soldier to his graveside in Section 60, where the cemetery's public affairs director tried to stop them from filming.
Nearly 400,000 people are buried at the cemetery, which is maintained by the U.S. Army. The Trump campaign's insistence on using the setting to shoot campaign material is a "new low," said former Army undersecretary and Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy.
Wellman said Trump's team should apologize for using the grounds to create a political ad instead of attacking the cemetery official who tried to prevent them from breaking a federal regulation governing photography at the site.
Trump's spokesman said the group had permission to film in Section 60.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said a cemetery official "clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team."Arlington National Cemetery confirmed that "an incident took place" over photography inside Section 60. No charges have been filed, a police official told USA TODAY.
The campaign's response − attacking the mental health of a respected cemetery official − only prompted further backlash from veterans and veterans' groups.
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton, a senior adviser at the progressive political action committee VoteVets, called the campaign's actions at the cemetery "nauseating."
Eaton, whose father is buried in Section 60, noted previous reports, repeatedly denied by Trump, that the former president had referred to World War I dead as "suckers" and "losers."
They see no issue bringing partisan politics there, even if it means getting into physical altercations with cemetery staff.," Eaton said in a statement to USA TODAY. "I truly cannot think of something more repugnant than starting a political fracas on land where Gold Star families mourn. Someone who would do that should never be Commander in Chief.”
Relatives of some of the service members who died in the bombing invited Trump to the wreath-laying ceremony Monday. They released a statement thanking and defending the former president Tuesday.
“We are deeply grateful to the president for taking the time to honor our children and for standing alongside us in our grief,” they wrote.
Wellman said Trump's desire to honor the fallen still had to conform with the law. "There's an actual federal law on the books saying it cannot be used political purposes," he told USA TODAY. "The families put out a statement saying, 'Oh no, we authorized it.' They don't get that right. The families don't get the right to make decisions for the other people buried there."
Trump has long claimed to be an ally to veterans but different comments have landed him in hot water with members of the military community over the years. Earlier this month, he angered veterans when he said the civilian Presidential Medal of Freedom is "much better" than the military Medal of Honor because recipients of the latter are often badly wounded or dead.
Story by Rachel Barber, Josh Meyer, Zac Anderson and Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY
Washington: Some veterans reacted with alarm to reports of an altercation between a member of Donald Trump's entourage and a top official at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, with a retired Army general calling the incident "repugnant."
Two sources told USA TODAY the incident occurred when a member of Trump's team pushed his way into recording in a part of the cemetery, known as Section 60, where photography is prohibited.
Video from Section 60, where recently buried U.S. service members are interred, later appeared in a Trump campaign Tik Tok in which he criticizes President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival for the presidency.
"Donald Trump has no right to use our most hallowed ground for his political aims," Fred Wellman, a 22-year Army combat veteran, said Wednesday. "For a lot of us, and I'm not the only one, people are aptly furious."
The incident occurred Monday after Trump laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor the 13 Americans slain in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport three years ago during the chaotic U.S. pullout from Afghanistan.
After laying the wreaths, Trump and members of his team accompanied family members of a slain soldier to his graveside in Section 60, where the cemetery's public affairs director tried to stop them from filming.
Nearly 400,000 people are buried at the cemetery, which is maintained by the U.S. Army. The Trump campaign's insistence on using the setting to shoot campaign material is a "new low," said former Army undersecretary and Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy.
Wellman said Trump's team should apologize for using the grounds to create a political ad instead of attacking the cemetery official who tried to prevent them from breaking a federal regulation governing photography at the site.
Trump's spokesman said the group had permission to film in Section 60.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said a cemetery official "clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team."Arlington National Cemetery confirmed that "an incident took place" over photography inside Section 60. No charges have been filed, a police official told USA TODAY.
The campaign's response − attacking the mental health of a respected cemetery official − only prompted further backlash from veterans and veterans' groups.
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton, a senior adviser at the progressive political action committee VoteVets, called the campaign's actions at the cemetery "nauseating."
Eaton, whose father is buried in Section 60, noted previous reports, repeatedly denied by Trump, that the former president had referred to World War I dead as "suckers" and "losers."
They see no issue bringing partisan politics there, even if it means getting into physical altercations with cemetery staff.," Eaton said in a statement to USA TODAY. "I truly cannot think of something more repugnant than starting a political fracas on land where Gold Star families mourn. Someone who would do that should never be Commander in Chief.”
Relatives of some of the service members who died in the bombing invited Trump to the wreath-laying ceremony Monday. They released a statement thanking and defending the former president Tuesday.
“We are deeply grateful to the president for taking the time to honor our children and for standing alongside us in our grief,” they wrote.
Wellman said Trump's desire to honor the fallen still had to conform with the law. "There's an actual federal law on the books saying it cannot be used political purposes," he told USA TODAY. "The families put out a statement saying, 'Oh no, we authorized it.' They don't get that right. The families don't get the right to make decisions for the other people buried there."
Trump has long claimed to be an ally to veterans but different comments have landed him in hot water with members of the military community over the years. Earlier this month, he angered veterans when he said the civilian Presidential Medal of Freedom is "much better" than the military Medal of Honor because recipients of the latter are often badly wounded or dead.
