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2 members of 's campaign staff had a verbal & physical altercation Monday w/an ofcl at where Trump participated in a [performative] wreath laying ceremony.
The cemetery ofcl tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming & photographing in a section where recent US casualties are buried. The source said Arlington ofcls had made clear only cemetery staff are authorized to take photographs or film in the area.



npr.org/2024/08/27/nx-s1-50911

When the cemetery ofcl tried to prevent campaign staff from entering Section 60 of campaign staff verbally & pushed the ofcl aside.

…In a statement to NPR, said it "can confirm there was an incident, & a report was filed."


“Federal 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," acc/to the statement. " reinforced & widely shared this law & its prohibitions with all participants."


So here is a full written confession of ’s latest (pic of Trump social media post)

Remember Federal prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National

No where in the law does it say that any family member of a service member buried there can give permission. Period.

Nonilex

campaign posts from after altercation

A ofcl said the Trump campaign was told repeatedly that they could not capture photos & video in , the final resting place of many recent fatalities.

Trump posted video from 2 days after the altercation in which defense ofcls said staff sought to enforce guidelines the campaign had received.



washingtonpost.com/politics/20

The Washington Post · Trump campaign posts video from Arlington Cemetery after alleged altercationBy Dan Lamothe

The campaign video… showed appearing during a…ceremony memorializing 13 US troops who were killed…during the US evacuation from Afghanistan. Trump is seen in the video at the Tomb of the Unknowns & walking among marble headstones as soft guitar music plays & Trump is heard criticizing the Biden admin’s handling of the withdrawal.
[In blatant disregard for the prohibiting political &/or campaign activity in .]


ofcls said a confrontation occurred during the event in which a staff member warned people employed by the campaign that while they were permitted to take photos & videos in the cemetery, they could not do so in , the final resting place for many US who were killed in recent conflicts….Guidance was issued to the campaign both before the event & again once they were on-site due to restrictions on -related activities there….

“What was abundantly clear cut was: , no photos & no video,” the official said.

A person familiar w/the matter told NPR, which 1st reported the incident, that the campaign staff pushed & verbally attacked a ofcl who tried to stop them from taking photos & videos in Section 60.

…Trump campaign comms dir said that…the campaign was…“prepared to release footage” to defend against “defamatory claims.”
[they haven’t, probably bc it doesn’t exist]

Allison Jaslow, chief execof & of America, said in a statement that is a hallowed place that should be off limits to partisan activity.

“Any aspiring elected official, especially one who hopes to be Commander in Chief, should not be confused about that fact,” Jaslow said. “Nor should they hide behind members of our community to justify politicking on such sacred ground.”


ofcls hoped clear rules would avoid a damaging public spat w/Trump.
He gave them one anyway.
Earlier this month, ’s campaign contacted ofcls about visiting ….
Federal prohibits -related activities at , & is the most prestigious & sacred of all. ofcls were deeply concerned about Trump turning it into a stop,…acc/to ofcls & internal msgs reviewed by WaPo.
washingtonpost.com/politics/20

The Washington Post · How a Trump visit sparked turmoil at America’s most sacred cemeteryBy Isaac Arnsdorf

Ofcls said they wanted to respect the wishes of grieving family members who wanted there, but at the same time were wary of Trump’s record of the . So they laid out ground rules they hoped would wall off from the final resting place of those who paid the ultimate for their .

Instead, they got sucked into exactly the kind of crisis they were hoping to avoid.


A employee tried to enforce the rules as provided to her by blocking ’s team from bringing cameras to the graves of US killed in recent years, acc/to a senior ofcl & another person briefed on the incident. A larger male campaign aide insisted the camera was allowed & pushed past the employee, leaving her shocked.

[that the employee was a is probably 1 reason Trump et al were such dicks]

campaign spox responded to the 1st report of the altercation, from NPR on Tues, by accusing, w/o evidence, the employee of “suffering from a mental health episode” [Im surprised he didn’t call the woman “hysterical” stereotypical crap]. ofcls said that the employee was trying to do her job & that the claim of a mental health episode was false.


On Wed said the employee “initiated physical contact that was unwarranted & unnecessary.” [wrong - you were breaking the rules & the ]

Cheung also said the would release footage to support his claim but has not. They did, however, post a TikTok of the event on Wed — exactly what ofcls tried to prevent. The use of the footage marked a flagrant violation of the against actions at , said.

[]…portrays himself as a champion of the , but point to his public & private remarks denigrating .

“I just haven’t seen anything this disgusting. It is completely inappropriate to do any kind of activity on a federal installation, & it is …to conduct any kind of activity on a w/the graves of our fallen,”said Paul Eaton, a ret general & adviser to whose father’s remains are interred at .

ofcls were concerned about the event Mon because have frequently used the…[Afghanistan exit], as a cudgel. In advance of the event, ofcls told ’s team that he could come in his PERSONAL CAPACITY & bring PERSONAL aides, but NOT staff. Campaign advisers went anyway.

No hats, signs or banners were allowed, acc/to ofcls. No speeches.


Reporters & photographers could follow for a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns, but not to the 14-acre plot where from recent wars are buried, known as . The media was kept away, unable to see the altercation —or anything else, for that matter— during that part of his visit.

The 1st part went according to plan. W/full media coverage, Trump & 2 injured Marines…laid a wreath at the tomb…dedicated to deceased troops whose remains have not been ID’ed or recovered.

The press then returned to a holding area, specifically instructed that reporters & cameras would not accompany & bereaved families to .

But Trump ofcls said they did not view the ’s own photographer & videographer [who weren’t allowed to be anywhere there as campaign staff in the first place] as subject to the same restrictions, so they continued on to Section 60. Their arrival there prompted the standoff w/the employee over the rules.

The incident has raised concerns about the of staff members, the senior ofcl said, w/vitriol aimed at them initially on Monday by liberals, after the news coverage of at the was published [really? I was immediately concerned for the staff & knew it was Trump et al being who they always are]. That has given way to language from that also is “concerning.”


“If the [] feels the need to defend their team’s actions — which include & physically pushing out of the way [] a longtime & member of the team at working to protect the sanctity of the sacred spaces — then that’s on them,” one ofcl said. “The rules were made clear to participants, & these two chose to disregard those rules. End of story.”


…Co-campaign manager , who was present Monday along w/other employees, in a statement called the employee “a despicable individual” who “does not deserve to represent the hollowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.” [mother f⁕⚠︎er!!] LaCivita posted video on X on Mon of laying flowers at the grave of Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, a soldier killed in the explosion, & speaking to his family on the phone [video all taken in ].


In addition to the ’s TikTok video, posed for photos on Monday at the graveside of Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee w/her family [in ], including 1 where he is giving a thumbs-up & others are smiling. Eaton called the gesture “appalling.”

The campaign also defended itself w/a joint statement from the 2 injured Marines who appeared w/Trump & the families of some of the killed, saying they wanted Trump & his cameras there [irrelevant & illegal].

…Other & bereaved families viewed ’s visit as to a sacred space that also belongs to them & to the nation. is a place where young widows can be seem trimming grass w/hand scissors, sharing comfort w/other , & decorating graves w/flowers & beads. Visitors have long taken graveside photographs there, & sitting presidents have visited before, but not as part of events.


“That’s not the time or place for it,” said Karen Meredith, a board member whose son, 1st Lt. Ken Ballard, is buried in the second row of . “They had to themselves into this thing. The lack of for the rules or the norms or the at — there’s just no respect.”


’s running mate, Sen , turned the incident into a attack during a speech in Erie, PA, on Wednesday. “We’re going to talk about a story out of those 13 brave, innocent Americans who lost their lives,” he said. He then falsely accused of criticizing Trump’s visit to the , which she hasn’t commented on. A Harris campaign spox called it “pretty sad.”


@Nonilex How nice of him to provide evidence of the campaign’s illegal activity. When he loses, his campaign officials can go to jail, and this time he won’t be there to pardon them because he’ll be in the next cell over.

@mls14 @Nonilex

Since he is a felon out on parole could maybe someone call his parole office?!? You get pulled over for a broken tailight when on parole and they put you in jail before the car cools down around here.

@djg @mls14 @Nonilex Everything else I've seen mentions a probation officer, not a parole officer.

@LPerry2 @mls14 @Nonilex

Your are correct, everything Google could find says Probation Officer…I was wrong.

@Nonilex many years ago I was out for a run in DC. I decided to take the bridge that leads to Arlington. I got a few feet past the entrance to Arlington Cemetery and was immediately stopped by personnel who made it *abundantly* clear that running in the cemetery is not allowed. Staff there are utterly dedicated to protecting the solemnity of the grounds. It’s so galling (and unsurprising) that Trump and his people violated this and then lied about it. Disgusting.

@saeyster @Nonilex Word has it the person who tried to stop the filed an incident report, but then declined to press charges because she feared retaliation.

It's not just disgusting.

@Nonilex So they assaulted a woman because she was in their way and wouldn't do as they demanded. How Trumpish of them.

@Nonilex I do hope some group makes a huge f**king deal about this. Claiming they were just filming “a solemn occasion” then releasing a campaign video is just slimy. And that’s besides the flat out violation of federal statute.

@MarkAB @Nonilex Let's be honest here (not that I support Trump at all) and note that the "federal law" being cited everywhere is actually the Hatch Act which TrumpWorld ignored during his administration. Arlington policy and procedures are what prevents partisan activity in the cemetery, not a specific statute, and it's their interpretation of the Hatch Act that informs those policies. The policies and procedures should be followed, but they don't have the force of a specific statute.

@MarkAB @Nonilex Also, the Hatch Act only applies to current federal employees. I'm not here to give Trump a break, but he's not employed by the government, and should never be again. It is, however, another example of Trump ignoring the norms of society.

@nzlemming @MarkAB

Actually the law is specific to the military & cemeteries. It’s not the Hatch Act.

It is 32 CFR § 553.32 - Conduct of memorial services & ceremonies.


law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/32/55

LII / Legal Information Institute32 CFR § 553.32 - Conduct of memorial services and ceremonies.

@nzlemming @MarkAB

“All memorial services & ceremonies within Army National Military Cemeteries, other than official ceremonies, shall be purely memorial in purpose,” it says.

It adds: “Memorial services & ceremonies at Army National Military Cemeteries will not include partisan political activities.”

@Nonilex @nzlemming @MarkAB So, it sounds like it is the Executive Director’s job to press charges under that act. That would be Ms. Karen Durham-Aguilera, Executive Director Office of Army Cemeteries (armycemeteries.army.mil/About-).

@bhawthorne @Nonilex @nzlemming @MarkAB

Thank you.

And it looks like the place to offer feedback is:

armycemeteries.army.mil/About-

I think they should be given feedback.

@bhawthorne @Nonilex @nzlemming @MarkAB

“Like many others, I am outraged by the recent desecration of Arlington Cemetery by Mr. Trump and his entourage, and the assault on your staff. Please prosecute those responsible.”

@Nonilex @MarkAB Fair point, though that's a regulation, not statute law. Arlington's own Policy cite the Hatch Act first, then this regulation and then AR 360-1 which is "The Army Public Affairs Program". I was mistaken in saying Hatch didn't apply to Trump here, as it applies to the cemetery, as a federal facility. According to WaPo, Trump was told he could only be there in his private capacity, without campaign staff. washingtonpost.com/politics/20

The Washington Post · How a Trump visit sparked turmoil at America’s most sacred cemeteryBy Isaac Arnsdorf

Here is the photo @Nonilex it referring to of the grinning Trump in Section 60.
It reminded me. Of Trump’s thumbs up and smile at an El Paso hospital following a mass shooting. Melania is holding the baby whose parents were murdered in a mass shooting.

@spocko @Nonilex What is the hand sign the lady is making? Disturbing all around

@madrobin @Nonilex looks like "Hook 'em Horns" sign. Maybe she is from Texas.

@spocko @Nonilex I think there are problems with the left side of the picture, the whole thing looks off.

@spocko @vmstan @Nonilex Why is the person next to Trump making the sign for devils horns?

@spocko @Nonilex
In 2021, before the election, a flood catastrophe in Germany caused hundreds of deaths. President and parliament visited the region and addressed the military and civil crisis forces. At that occasion the conservative candidate for the office Chancellor was filmed laughing and joking during a speech.

German Media (including the right-leaning) covered that and considered him unfit for office (lack of medial competence).

Trump's behaviour should've been covered the same way

@Nonilex And look at all the free media coverage he’s getting. Every provocation garners attention, which his campaign needs and which he craves. Let’s all just stop.

@Nonilex Trump's thumbs up pose at the Arlington Cemetery reminds me of the thumbs up pose at the El Paso hospital following the mass shooting. In this photo Melania is holding the orphan baby of two dead parents.

@spocko #Weird man DonOLD can’t even pretend to be a regular human being for five minutes without doing something that no other person on the planet would do. Thumbs up at Arlington?? Completely messed up. @Nonilex

@spocko @Nonilex
Disgusting excuse for human beings.

@spocko and they’re both smiling gleefully. It’s a damned poster for sociopathy.

@Nonilex @spocko It's the empty "camera is pointing at me" smile most celebrities use, where eyes are not part of the smile.

@spocko

He reminds me of the drunken Kid Shaleen (Oscar winner Lee Marvin) in Cat Ballou singing Happy Birthday and blowing out the candles at Frankie Ballou's funeral.