Arlington National Cemetery worker was 'pushed aside' in Trump staff dispute but won't seek charges

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and TARA COPP

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Arlington National Cemetery official was "abruptly pushed aside" in an altercation with former President Donald Trump's staff during a wreath-laying ceremony to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, but she declined to press charges, an Army spokesman said Thursday.

The Army spokesman said the cemetery employee was trying to make sure those participating in the wreath-laying ceremony earlier this week were following the rules, which "clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds."

"This employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption," the statement said. "This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked."

The incident was reported to the police, but because the employee decided not to press charges, the Army said it considered the matter closed.

The Trump campaign has been facing blowback since an NPR report said that two Trump campaign staff members on Monday had "verbally abused and pushed" aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Federal law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within Army national military cemeteries.

The Trump campaign has claimed the Republican presidential nominee's team was granted access to have a photographer and has contested the allegation that a campaign staffer pushed a cemetery official.

Trump visited the venerable cemetery on Monday at the invitation of surviving family members to mark the third anniversary of the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, which killed 13 American service members and more than 170 Afghans. Photos of the visit showed Trump standing by the graves with a thumbs-up next to relatives of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee. He also laid wreaths for Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, whose family was not present.

A video shared by Trump on TikTok also shows several clips of his visit to the cemetery. As a guitar strums in the background, there is a voiceover of the Republican nominee saying, "We lost great, great people. What a horrible day it was. We didn't lose one person in 18 months, and then they took over. That disaster, the leaving of Afghanistan."

Trump spent the third anniversary of the Aug. 26, 2021, attack tying his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, to the chaos of the Afghanistan War withdrawal. He told an audience of National Guard members and their families in Detroit that the withdrawal was a "humiliation" and called the deadly attack "the most embarrassing day in the history of our country"

"Caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, the humiliation in Afghanistan set off the collapse of American credibility and respect all around the world," Trump told an audience of about 4,000 in Michigan.

The family of a decorated Green Beret whose grave appeared in the photos of Trump's visit issued a statement expressing support for the families who lost loved ones in the Kabul airport bombing, but asking for understanding for the concerns from relatives of service members whose graves were near them.

"We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly," said the statement, which was sent by the sister of Silver Star recipient Master Sgt. Andrew C. Marckesano on behalf of the family.

Master Sgt. Marckesano was deployed overseas six times.

A defense official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said that the Trump campaign was warned about not taking photographs in Section 60 before their arrival and the altercation.

Trump's spokesperson Steven Cheung said the team had gotten permission for a photographer and disparaged the cemetery official as having clearly been "suffering from a mental health episode."

"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," he said.

The Trump campaign posted a message signed by relatives of two of the service members killed in the bombing that said "the president and his team conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children."

Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, noted that Trump was there at the invitation of the families of the service members who were killed in the airport bombing.

"For a despicable individual to physically prevent President Trump's team from accompanying him to this solemn event is a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery," he said in a written statement, misspelling the word hallowed. "Whoever this individual is, spreading these lies are dishonoring the men and women of our armed forces."

Michael Tyler, a spokesperson for Harris, said the reports of the altercation were "what we've come to expect from Donald Trump and his team."

"Donald Trump is a person who wants to make everything all about Donald Trump," Tyler said on CNN on Wednesday. "He's also somebody who has a history of demeaning and degrading military service members, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice."

Trump's running mate JD Vance was asked about the incident Wednesday at a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania, and said that "apparently somebody at Arlington Cemetery, some staff member, had a little disagreement with somebody" and "the media has turned this into a national news story."

He instead tried to focus on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling Harris "disgraceful" for not firing anyone for the deaths of service members in the terror attack.

"She can go to hell," Vance said.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

A Pentagon investigation into the deadly attack concluded that the suicide bomber acted alone and that the deaths of more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were not preventable. But critics have slammed the Biden administration for the catastrophic evacuation, saying it should have started earlier than it did.

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Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.