Arlington National Cemetery confirmed on Tuesday that the incident occurred as former President Donald Trump visited on Monday to mark the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate attacks in Afghanistan.
“We can confirm that there was an incident and a report was made,” the statement said.
“Federal law prohibits political campaigning or election-related activity at military national military cemeteries, including by photographers, content creators or other individuals participating with the intent or direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” said the suburban Virginia cemetery. from Washington. “Arlington National Cemetery confirmed and widely distributed this law and its prohibitions to all participants.”
Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Monday, the third anniversary of the death of 13 members of the US military in an Islamic State attack outside Kabul airport in Afghanistan. More than 150 Afghans were also killed. The parents of the fallen servicemen have expressed their anger at the administration of President Joe Biden for the lack of answers related to the attack.
After the ceremony, Trump headed to section 60 of the cemetery, where soldiers who died in Afghanistan and Iraq are buried and recording is typically very restricted.
NPR first reported Tuesday that two Trump campaign staffers “had a verbal and physical altercation” with a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming.
A statement from Arlington National Cemetery did not confirm those details.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, disputed some of the report’s details and said the campaign is prepared to release material to support its claims.
“There was no physical altercation depicted and we are prepared to release the footage if such defamatory allegations are made,” Cheung said in a statement. “The fact is that a private photographer was allowed on the premises, and for some reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”
Cheung went on to say in a statement to X that Trump had permission to have a photographer there.
Trump’s campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, posted a video with an x that showed Trump laying flowers on a grave.
In a statement, he said a “despicable individual” physically prevented Trump’s team from escorting him to the event.
“For a despicable individual to physically prevent President Trump’s team from accompanying him to this solemn event is disgraceful and unworthy of representing the hollow ground of Arlington National Cemetery,” LaCivita said. “Whoever this person is spreading these lies dishonors the men and women of our armed forces and disrespects all who paid the price to defend our country.”
LaCivita claimed that Trump was in the booth at the invitation of 60 Abbey Gate Gold Star families “to honor loved ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.”
Trump sparked controversy this month when he said this month that the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a civilian award, was “better” than the highest military award, the Medal of Honor, because those who receive the latter are often killed or injured.
Trump has previously faced scrutiny over a 2020 report by The Atlantic magazine, which former White House chief of staff John Kelly later confirmed said he made disparaging remarks about fallen soldiers, calling them “babies” and “losers.” Trump has denied the charge.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
