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The 2 staffers, acc/to a source w/knowledge of the incident, are deputy campaign manager #JustinCaporale & #MichelPicard, a member of #Trump’s advance team.

Caporale was an aide to #Melania Trump who left the WH to work for #Florida Gov #RonDeSantis before returning to the Trump campaign.

Caporale was was also listed as the on-site contact & project manager for the Women for America First rally in DC on #Jan6, 2021 where #Trump urged the crowd to “stop the steal” [& to go to the Capitol] before many of them violently stormed the US Capitol.

#ArlingtonNationalCemetery rules, that had been made clear to the Trump campaign in advance, say that only an ofcl #Arlington photographer can take pictures or film in #Section60.

#disrespect #military #ServiceMembers #USpol 
#HarrisWalz2024

When an #ArlingtonNationalCemetery employee tried to enforce the rules, she was verbally abused by the 2 #Trump campaign operatives [#JustinCaporale & #MichelPicard]…. Picard then pushed her out of the way acc/to 2 #Pentagon ofcls.

After #NPR first reported the altercation last week, campaign spox #StevenCheung said they were “prepared to release footage” of the incident, & attacked the #Arlington employee as “clearly suffering from a mental health episode.”

#military #ServiceMembers #USpol

Cheung also said they were granted access to have a photographer present, & pointed to a statement from Gold Star family members [who don’t have the authority to grant access] that invited #Trump to attend the ceremony.

The campaign also released a TikTok video that included video footage from #Section60, including a smiling Trump flashing a thumbs up w/family members at the gravesites. But other tombstones are visible in the picture,

& at least one family of a fallen #GreenBeret has confirmed they did NOT give permission for his grave to be filmed or used in a #campaign ad.

The #Army released a statement last Thurs acknowledging that a cemetery employee “was abruptly pushed aside” & the #Trump campaign was warned ahead of time of the prohibition against photography & #political activities at #Arlington.

The #Army said the cemetery employee tried to de-escalate the situation after she was pushed, in hopes of not upsetting the #GoldStarFamilies in attendance.

The Army said a police report of the incident was filed, but that the employee had declined to press charges, & that the Army considered the matter closed, but added that “the ANC employee & her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”

… #NPR emailed both Caporale & Picard, Cheung responded, “I see you've been emailing some of our team members…As the Army has said, they consider this matter closed. *President* #Trump was there to support the Gold Star families & honor the sacrifices their loved ones made.”

…Neither Cheung, Picard or Caporale responded to emailed requests for comment…. Reached by phone, Caporale referred questions to Cheung.

The #Trump campaign has still not followed through on its pledge to release video of the incident, despite repeated requests from NPR.

This week, Trump contradicted his own campaign w/a post on his social media falsely calling the confrontation a “made up story by Comrade Kamala & her misinformation squad” that attacked Harris & Biden for not attending the private ceremony.

In an interview on Sean Hannity’s radio show Tues, #Trump reiterated the false assertion that nothing happened at the cemetery, questioning the motives of the unnamed employee & downplaying the accusations as attacks over “publicity.”

“Do you notice that the person represented now doesn’t want to talk, he doesn’t want to speak or talk?” Trump asked, mislabeling the employee as male.…

…#GoldStarFamilies do not have the power to suspend the rules at #Arlington, where #Section60 is an…on-going memorial to hundreds of recent war dead that, like the entire cemetery, is meant to be above #politics.

The family of Master Sgt Andrew Marckesano, a #GreenBeret who died by suicide after serving multiple combat tours & who is buried in Section 60, said…,”the #Trump campaign staffers did not adhere to the rules that were set in place for this visit."

"We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that there were real people who sacrificed for our freedom & that they are #honored & #respected & treated accordingly," they said in a statement.

Jimmy McCain, a US Marine whose father was the late Sen #JohnMcCain, also condemned the visit.

#Trump has a history of controversial remarks about the <military - he insulted Sen John McCain for being a #POW. He called dead soldiers "suckers" & "losers,"

& #Trump recently stoked controversy for saying civilian Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients are much better than those who received the Medal of Honor — the highest #military award in the country, often given posthumously.

@pixelpusher220 @Nonilex The cemetery official might not want to testify. And without that, it might be impossible to prosecute. 45’s violent followers are a constant source of witness intimidation for any that would call out his crimes.

@mastodonmigration @Nonilex he has that Jared Pinocchio quality about him, where he “almost” looks like a real boy, but without a soul it doesn’t really pass.

@mastodonmigration

Here is the FEC’s itemized disbursements
for “DONALD J. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT 2024, INC.”

It lists 7 disbursements to:

Michel Picard
P.O. BOX 509
ARLINGTON, Virginia 22216

https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00828541/1791719/sb/23/4

@Nonilex

Nice

@saeyster @Nonilex

Ding. Now that's intetesting.

@mastodonmigration @saeyster

Other people listed at PO 509:

Christopher Ambrosini
Hayley L. D’Antuono
Mackenzie Driscoll
Madison Faupel
Mary C. Finzer
Lindsey Halligan
Natalie Harp
Chamberlain R. Harris
Anna Jordan
Kalina Kingsbury
Grant Leichter
Waltine Nauta
Madison Porter
Desiree Thompson

It must be a campaign or PAC mailing address
https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00762591/1791717/sb/ALL

@Nonilex @saeyster@mastinteresting.

Still, very interesting.

@ampersine @Nonilex

Nice alt text.