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Trump staff had physical altercation with Arlington cemetery official, NPR reports
Trump on Aug.26 participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the 13 servicemembers killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
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Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, U.S., August 23, 2024. / REUTERS/Go Nakamura
(Reuters) - Two members of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign staff had a "verbal and physical altercation" with an Arlington National Cemetery official during a visit by Trump this week, NPR reported on Aug.27
Trump on Aug.26 participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the 13 servicemembers killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Later in Detroit, Trump blamed Vice President Kamal Harris, his Democratic rival for the White House, and President Joe Biden for a "catastrophic" withdrawal.
Citing an unnamed source, NPR reported that when a cemetery official tried to prevent Trump campaign staffers from filming and photographing in an area where service members are buried, the Trump staff "verbally abused and pushed the official aside."
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung disputed the report. "There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made," Cheung said.
"The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team during a very solemn ceremony."
Arlington National Cemetery confirmed in a statement that an incident occurred and a report was filed.
"Federal law 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," the cemetery said.
It did not respond to requests for a copy of the report or an explanation of why the Trump campaign was allowed to visit the cemetery as part of his campaign.
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