WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The Army is standing by an Arlington National Cemetery staffer who was pushed aside by a Trump campaign staffer.
The fallout from former president Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery now involves the Army.
In a statement, the Army defended an employee who tried to enforce the cemetery’s rules against election-related videography in Section 60, the burial ground for recently fallen servicemembers.
“We didn’t lose one person in 18 months,” Trump said.
A video posted to the former president’s TikTok shows the Monday visit and him comparing his record to President Joe Biden’s.
“And then they took over that disaster,” Trump said.
The Army says someone from Trump’s team abruptly pushed the cemetery employee aside when she tried to enforce the rules.
“The rules are very very clear. They’re all so online.” Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary said.
The Pentagon said Thursday the cemetery employees are dedicated to honoring fallen heroes.
“There are nearly 3000 public ceremonies that are conducted at Arlington National Cemetery, every single year without incident,” Singh said.
The Trump team says a family invited him to a private ceremony in Section 60 and says it has a video that proves no wrongdoing on its part.
“There is verifiable evidence that the campaign was allowed to have a photographer there,” Sen. JD Vance said.
So far, the Trump campaign has not released the video.
The Trump campaign said the cemetery employee was clearly suffering from a mental health episode.
The Army says it’s an unfair attack. Since the employee chose not to file charges, the Army considers the matter closed.
