Army says a Trump aide 'abruptly pushed aside' an Arlington National Cemetery employee
An aide to Donald Trump pushed an Arlington National Cemetery employee when the former president visited the site with family members of U.S. service members killed in the Kabul airport attack during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, two Defense Department officials said.
WASHINGTON — The Army said Thursday that an aide to former President Donald Trump had "abruptly pushed aside" an Arlington National Cemetery employee who had sought to enforce restrictions on taking photos and video at part of the burial ground this week.
Trump and his campaign staff on Monday visited the cemetery, in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, with relatives of victims who died in the terrorist attack on Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The attack killed 13 U.S. service members and about 170 Afghan civilians.
An Army spokesperson defended the employee in a statement, saying the participants in the remembrance ceremony had been "made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds."
The employee "who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside," the spokesperson said. "Consistent with the decorum expected at ANC, this employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption."
“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked,” the spokesperson added. “ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve.”
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