Trump's Arlington Cemetery event was in 'flagrant violation' of law: officials

Donald Trump’s campaign was warned about not taking photographs during a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, the U.S. Army said Thursday. 

Despite those warnings, two Trump campaign staffers "abruptly pushed aside" a cemetery employee who tried to stop them from filming Monday at the most sacred of all final resting places for those who served. The ceremony took place in Section 60 of the cemetery – the site for military personnel who were killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Arlington National Cemetery routinely hosts public wreath laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for individuals and groups who submit requests in advance," the U.S. Army said in a statement released Thursday. "ANC conducts nearly 3,000 such public ceremonies a year without incident. 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. 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 U.S. Department of the Army, which manages Arlington National Cemetery, said the incident was reported to police, but the employee ultimately decided not to press charges.

Photos of Trump posted on TikTok show him smiling and giving a "thumbs up" sign beside the grave marker of Marine Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, with members of the fallen soldier's family, NPR reports. It’s exactly what military officials tried to prevent. 

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Hoover and 12 other service members were killed alongside more than 100 Afghans in the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport. Critics have slammed the Biden administration for the catastrophic evacuation, saying it should have started earlier than it did.

The Trump campaign's use of footage from Arlington cemetery marked a flagrant violation of the law against partisan actions at military cemeteries, defense officials said.

According to NPR, the campaign may have had permission to film Hoover’s headstone, but it did not have permission to film the two other headstones that appeared in the campaign footage. One of the headstones belongs to a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who died by suicide. The Trump campaign did not respond to questions about the other headstones. 

What does Trump’s campaign say?

Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung said the Republican presidential candidate’s team had been granted permission for a private photographer and denied allegations that a campaign staffer pushed a cemetery official.  He accused the cemetery staffer of having a "mental health episode."

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"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," he said.

Cheung also said the campaign would release footage to support his claim but has not.  Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, called the Arlington cemetery worker a "despicable individual."

"For a despicable individual to physically prevent President Trump’s team from accompanying him to this solemn event is a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery," he said in a written statement, misspelling the word hallowed. "Whoever this individual is, spreading these lies are dishonoring the men and women of our armed forces."

In its statement Thursday, the U.S. Army called it "unfortunate" that the employee "has been unfairly attacked."

"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 Army said. 

What is Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery? 

Arlington National Cemetery was established on May 13, 1864, amid the Civil War. It was built on Arlington Estate, land that the federal government had seized from Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s family.

The cemetery includes service members from all U.S. military branches. More than 400,000 soldiers are buried there.

Section 60 is a 14-acre special burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. About 900 soldiers are buried in Section 60. 

Fallout from Arlington incident 

Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia has called on cemetery officials to release more information about what happened Monday. Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox also faced criticism Wednesday for including a photo of him and Trump at the Arlington ceremony in a campaign email soliciting donations for his reelection bid.

Cox’s campaign has apologized for using the photo and politicizing the graveside ceremony.

"This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used by the campaign," the governor wrote in a post on X. "It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent."