The Army is defending an Arlington National Cemetery employee whom it says has been "unfairly attacked" in the wake of a confrontation with campaign staffers during former President Donald Trump's visit to the cemetery earlier this week.
In a relatively strong statement for a military service, the Army said Thursday that the employee "acted with professionalism" when she sought to remind the campaign about federal laws and policies banning political activities on cemetery grounds.
"An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside," the Army said in its statement, using an acronym for the military cemetery.
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"This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked," the statement 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."
The statement comes after the Trump campaign baselessly accused the employee of "suffering from a mental health episode" and called her "despicable" in its own statements Wednesday.
Asked for comment on the latest Army statement, as well as any update on plans to release footage it claims to have disproving allegations of a physical fight, the Trump campaign did not directly answer. Instead, it sent Military.com a social media post from a conservative commentator about President Joe Biden's use of a cemetery photo in a 2020 campaign ad.
At issue is Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to mark the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Trump participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then visited some of the victims' graves in Section 60, the area of the cemetery reserved for recent war dead.
NPR first reported Tuesday night that Trump campaign staff verbally abused and pushed a cemetery official who tried to enforce the rules against political activities when Trump was in Section 60.
The Trump campaign denied that there was a "physical altercation as described" and said it was "prepared to release footage" it suggested would contradict the allegation, but has yet to release any footage of the incident.
Family members of two of the Abbey Gate victims have said they invited Trump to accompany them to the cemetery and welcomed him to take photos and video of the visit.
But ahead of the visit, Trump campaign staff was given a document detailing laws and regulations they needed to follow while there that "prohibit political campaign or election-related activities," according to a copy of the document obtained by Military.com.
"Photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support, of a partisan political candidate's campaign are NOT permitted on the ANC installation," the document says.
Photos and video of the visit have since been used on Trump's TikTok account, his campaign co-chair's X account, and a campaign fundraising email from Utah's governor, among other political uses. The governor has since apologized for including a photo of the visit in the email.
In its statement Thursday, the Army noted that Arlington conducts "nearly 3,000" public wreath-laying ceremonies annually "without incident."
The Arlington employee reported Monday's incident with the Trump campaign to police at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, the installation that oversees the cemetery, but has decided not to press charges, according to the Army's statement.
"Therefore," the statement said, "the Army considers this matter closed."
-- Steve Beynon contributed to this report.
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