Vice President Kamala Harris Former President Donald Trump and his campaign have been accused of “disrespecting sacred ground for political show.”
In a post on X, the Democratic candidate said Arlington National Cemetery is “a place where we gather to honor American heroes,” not “a place for politics.”
This is the first time Harris has spoken out since making the comments: Female Cemetery Manager and Trump Campaign Staffer Argued On Monday, Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to mark the third anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. He was joined by Gold Star families. My family died.
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“But as reported this week, the Donald Trump team decided to film there, and that led to an altercation with cemetery staff,” Harris said Saturday.. “Let me be clear: The former president disrespected sacred ground for political propaganda purposes.”
She added, “If there’s one thing we can all agree on as Americans, it’s that our veterans, our military families, and our service members should be respected, never belittled, and treated with the utmost respect and gratitude.”
The Trump campaign and Arlington National Cemetery officials disagree about exactly what happened.
Different experiences, same events
The Trump campaign said it had explicit permission from the Gold Star family to bring “campaign-designated media” into Section 60 of the cemetery. Messages reviewed by CBS News confirmed the campaign received permission directly from the family.
However, the rules of the Army National Military Cemetery are governed by federal law, and Arlington National Cemetery’s media policy prohibits filming for partisan, political, or fundraising purposes, even at the request of families of fallen soldiers.
An Army spokesman said: All participants acknowledged the federal laws. Ahead of Monday’s incident.
“ANC staff who attempted to enforce these rules were suddenly pushed out,” the military said. “In keeping with the courtesy expected of the ANC, the staff member acted professionally and avoided further disruption.”
The incident was reported to Arlington Cemetery staff by the county sheriff, who decided not to press charges. The county told CBS News it considers the matter closed.
Trump campaign communications director Stephen Tseng told CBS News in a statement that there was “no physical altercation” and that the campaign was prepared to release the footage.
“In fact, a personal photographer was allowed into the building, and for some unknown reason, an individual with mental health issues chose to physically block members of President Trump’s team during what was a very solemn ceremony,” the statement said.
Republicans Blame Harris; Democrats Want Answers
In a post on X, in response to Trump’s running mate Harris: Senator JD Vance “President Trump was there at the invitation of the families who lost their loved ones because of your incompetence. Why don’t you get off social media and start an investigation into their needless deaths?”
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton praised Trump, saying Gold Star families “have the right to invite whomever they wish to celebrate this solemn anniversary.”
“The real scandal is that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden executed 13 brave American servicemen and did not even have the courtesy to call or meet with the Gold Star families to offer their condolences,” the Arkansas senator said in a statement released by the Trump campaign.
Inside her Your own post about XTrump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt criticized Harris, blaming the vice president for the deaths that occurred during the evacuation.
“Kamala’s stupidity led to one of the most shameful incidents in American history, the deaths of 13 brave American servicemen. She never said their names. She never contacted their families,” she said. “That alone makes Kamala unfit to be elected. Kamala has already proven that she would be a dangerously incompetent Commander-in-Chief.”
Meanwhile, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee Sent a letter to the US Army I request a “full account” of the events that occurred at the cemetery.
“The Trump campaign, with its photographers and videographers arriving at the cemetery, appears to have completely flouted the laws and regulations known to them, filming footage in restricted areas for use in political TikTok videos,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, wrote in a letter to Army Secretary Kristin Wormuth.
Laskin asked Warmus to respond by September 9.
Paris Tanyos,
Catherine Watson,
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And Eleanor Watson contributed to this report.
