Wednesday, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) At a wreath-laying ceremony honoring fallen U.S. soldiers on Monday, the Trump team commented on the scuffle with staff at Arlington National Cemetery. And by “commented,” I mean they lied and told the vice president. “Go to hell.”
At a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, Vance told the crowd that there was nothing really noteworthy. “The argument at Arlington Cemetery is a media-created story, and I don’t think there is one,” he said, adding that “a lot of (the family members) were there (with the former president) and they invited him to support them.”
“I find it amazing that there was a minor disagreement between some staff member at Arlington Cemetery and someone, and the media made it national news,” Vance continued.
The Ohio senator went even further, telling Harris she could “go to hell” for criticizing Trump’s gravesite visit. The choice came despite Harris having never publicly commented on the incident, unlike Vance’s claim that “Donald Trump showed up at Arlington and wanted to yell at him.” When reached for comment, Trump campaign communications director Stephen Chung insisted Vance was referring to Harris’ campaign team, not the vice president himself.
Also, contrary to Vance’s characterization, this case wasn’t as simple as Vance would have you believe. As I reported yesterday:
According to an Arlington National Cemetery spokesperson, Trump’s staff wanted to be photographed honoring the troops, despite federal law prohibiting “political campaign or election-related activity,” including taking photos at the cemetery.
Nonetheless, the Trump team managed to turn the event into a content opportunity, creating a video on their TikTok account that featured dark music suggesting that the soldiers’ deaths were President Joe Biden’s fault. As of Wednesday afternoon, it had been viewed more than 6.6 million times. (The video was also posted to Trump’s Instagram page, which also posted other footage from the event. Trump’s senior adviser Dan Scavino also shared the video on his X page.)
Since then, new facts have come to light that, if true, would make the case much more serious.
A statement released by a military spokesperson Thursday morning confirmed that cemetery staff were “abruptly pushed back” while attempting to enforce a federal law banning political activity at the site, and that the incident was reported to police, but the staff member decided not to press charges. The New York Times The employee reportedly did not press charges for fear of retaliation from Trump supporters.
that times We also received a statement from the family of Green Beret Master Sergeant Andrew Marchesano, who is believed to have committed suicide after completing eight combat missions in 2020, expressing their disappointment that his grave was included in a photo showing him smiling and giving a thumbs-up in front of Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover’s grave, which is located next to Marchesano’s. The Marchesano family times According to reports, the Trump campaign did not allow anyone to take photos or video of the tombstone, but the Hoover family did.
Marckesano’s sister, Michele, said: times: “Based on conversations with Arlington National Cemetery, Trump campaign staff did not adhere to the protocols in place for this visit,” he added. “We hope that those who visit this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and are honored and treated accordingly.”
Cheung did not respond to a request for comment on the family’s statement, saying only, “As the military said, they consider this matter closed. President Trump was there to support the Gold Star families and honor the sacrifices their loved ones made. Where was Kamala Harris?”
