A couple of days ago I saw that Trump had staged some sort of photo op at Arlington Cemetery. This was done to draw attention to the third anniversary of the Kabul airport attack that killed 13 U.S. service members. I thought this was a cheap stunt best ignored. But now more details are coming out that make the incident a bigger deal.
Various news stories have been a bit contradictory. Here is WaPo’s version:
Trump had been invited to a memorial event to mark the deaths of 13 U.S. service members by some of the grieving families, the defense official said.
“What was abundantly clear cut was: Section 60, no photos and no video,” the defense official said.
A person familiar with the matter told NPR, which first reported the incident Tuesday, that the Trump campaign staff pushed and verbally attacked a cemetery official who tried to stop them from taking photos and videos in Section 60. Cemetery staff said in a statement that federal law bars photography for political campaign purposes at the site.
NPR says it received this statement from Arlington National Cemetery:
In a statement to NPR, Arlington National Cemetery said it “can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed.”
“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,” according to the statement. “Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”
This appears to say that it’s against federal law to use any part of Arlington Cemetery in a political campaign. Whether photography in section 60 specifically is also against federal law, or is just cemetery policy, isn’t clear to me. You might remember my older brother was buried at Arlington in 2015. People do walk around on the grounds and take photos. Here’s one I took in 2015 of the riderless horse that was part of the procession to the grave site.
My brother is not in section 60, at least.
Charles Pierce had some choice words:
So the sun was out and shining as this third-generation draft dodger pretended to care about the soldiers who were suckers and losers enough to get killed during the United States’ withdrawal from its Afghanistan adventure. How in the hell this was allowed to happen is beyond me. Arlington is the country’s “most hallowed ground.” (Just ask the tour guides.) Arlington is profaned by his presence on just an average day. But to allow itself to be used for the purpose propping up one of the Republican Party’s most noxious half-truths—as promulgated by its most noxious elements personified by its most noxious candidate—is an insult to the over 400 Medal of Honor awardees buried there.
I hope the report that was filed will be made public eventually. And if it really is a violation of federal law to stage campaign stunts at Arlington, I want to see some follow up. At least this morning the incident is getting a lot of coverage.
NPR:
In a statement to NPR, Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s spokesman, strongly rejected the notion of a physical altercation, adding: “We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.
“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,” Cheung said in the statement.
The Trump campaign declined to make that footage immediately available.
Steven Cheung claimed the Trump campaign had permission to put on their little stunt. But it turns out the only permission they received was from some of the families of the Marines killed at Kabul. It wasn’t their “permission” to give.
This photo of the stunt, with Trump grinning like the idiot he is and giving a thumb’s up while standing next to headstones, is bad enough. He can’t even fake being respectful. And the families involved should be ashamed. I understand the stunt included a wreath laying ceremony. A video from Fox News shows a man in military uniform taking part. That guy needs to be in big trouble.
Update: I picked up from Steve Benen that the wreath laying was conducted by the Old Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Arlington will take requests for such ceremonies, limited to one a day, says the Arlington website.. Trump put himself in the middle of it, which soesn’t seem normal to me. But the military personnel in the ceremony weren’t doing anything wrong.
Stuff to read:
Rick Perlstein interviews David Neiwert on the potential for right-wing violence after the general election, no matter the outcome.
Trump plans would add $5.8 trillion to national debt. This is according to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Trump’s alma mater.
Jill Filipovic, Why Kamala Harris gets under Trump’s skin at Slate
Thumbs up at a grave. How appropriate.
How any veteran can support Trump is beyond comprehension. I'd like to know if assault charges will be filed against the goon who attacked the Arlington official.
The news from a recent Fox poll is good, and not done entirely outside the DNC convention. We may see a little more. You'd think Trump wold be frantic about the polls but he's posting memes of retribution. The Obamas Biden and Harris in prison uniforms. IMO, Trump is mostly freaked about the tweaked DC indictment. In his mind, Obama and Biden could call it all off. He's trying to scare them into dismissing all the charges. (You may see my read of Trump's tweets differently.)
Some of the hearings of the DC prosecution will go forward before the election. We do not know if Trump's sentencing in NY will happen on the 18th of September. That's Judge Merchant's decision. Jordan is trying to subpoena records from the judge's daughter's employer. Blatant intimidation to try to affect the judge.
I have not seen a date set for the 11th Circut to hear the appeal that will likely put the document case back on the docket. I'm sure of the decision – I do not know if the court will remove Cannon If the appeal to the USSC is after the election and after Trump has lost, expect the USSC to pass on hearing the appeal.
"How any veteran can support Trump is beyond comprehension"
Just because you served in the military does not shield you from being an ignorant racist. All magats have the same traits veteran or not, they also have the ability to ignore anything Stump does that may make them uncomfortable, it's a fucking cult. Most white male vets I know or meet at the VA clinic here are rabid magats they also happen to be racists and dumb as fucking posts!
"A woman who works at the cemetery filed an incident report with the military authorities over the altercation. But the official later declined to press charges. Military officials said she feared Mr. Trump’s supporters pursuing retaliation."
(NYTimes)
Bad behavior from the Trump campaign in the Arlington Cemetary you say. Shocking! Did you forget that gods are perfect? Now drop down and give me twenty. Something must be wrong with your lying eyes.
The new normal. Weird