A worker at Arlington National Cemetery who was allegedly pushed aside by the Trump campaign will not be pressing charges, according to a U.S. Army spokesperson on August 29. The Trump campaign has denied the accusation and instead blamed the incident on an individual “suffering from a mental health episode” who attempted to block a private photographer.
Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, visited the Virginia cemetery on August 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.
According to the spokesperson, an incident occurred during Trump’s visit where an employee of Arlington National Cemetery sought to enforce rules that prohibit political campaign activities on cemetery grounds. These activities included campaign officials filming President Trump instead of allowing cemetery staff to do so.
“The employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption, consistent with what is expected at ANC,” stated the spokesperson.
The matter was reported to military police; however, no charges were pursued by the employee.
The Army confirmed that this case is now closed.
“The ANC employee and her professionalism have been unfairly attacked,” expressed the spokesperson. ”ANC is a national shrine dedicated to honoring fallen members of our Armed Forces, and its staff will continue ensuring public ceremonies are conducted with dignity and respect.”
The Trump campaign has denied any physical altercation took place and claims they have video evidence refuting these allegations.
“A private photographer was permitted on site when an unnamed individual suffering from a mental health episode decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a solemn ceremony,” explained Steven Cheung, spokesperson for the Trump campaign.
Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), running mate for Donald Trump, dismissed this incident as media sensationalism during an August 28 campaign event at Arlington Cemetery: “The altercation at Arlington Cemetery is just another example of media creating stories where there really aren’t any.”
Despite differing accounts surrounding this incident, it remains clear that tensions arose between cemetery staff and members of President Trump’s team during his visit.