Two members of Donald Trump’s campaign staff reportedly had a physical and verbal altercation with an official at a military cemetery.
The Republican presidential candidate participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday in honour of 13 US service members killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
NPR reported that when an official at the cemetery in Virginia tried to prevent Mr Trump’s campaign staff from filming and taking photographs in an area where service members are buried, two members of his campaign staff verbally abused the official and pushed them aside.
Arlington National Cemetery confirmed an incident took place in a statement to NBC News.
“We can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed,” it said.
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.
“Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”
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Mr Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung denied some of the reported details in a statement to NBC News.
“There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made,” he said.
“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.”
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He also tweeted to say Mr Trump was granted access to have a photographer at the cemetery.
Mr Trump was previously criticised for reportedly referring to fallen soldiers as “suckers” and “losers” while he was president – allegations he has denied.
Source Agencies
