Former President Donald Trump’s campaign staff got into an altercation with Arlington National Cemetery officials over filming in an unauthorized area, NPR reported.
President Trump visited the Virginia cemetery on Monday for a wreath-laying ceremony marking three years since the attack on U.S. troops withdrawing from Afghanistan. Trump and Republicans have often used the 2021 Kabul attack that killed 13 U.S. soldiers to criticize the Biden administration.
A source familiar with the situation told NPR that two Trump campaign staffers attempted to photograph an area known as Section 60, where recently deceased soldiers are buried. NPR’s source said Arlington officials had informed them that only cemetery workers were allowed to film in the area.
Sources told NPR that when cemetery staff tried to stop Trump staff from entering the graveyard, Trump staffers got into an argument with the staff and pushed them away.
Cemetery officials confirmed in a statement to NPR that “an incident occurred and a report has been filed.”
“Federal law prohibits political campaigning or election-related activity on Army National Military Cemeteries, including photographers, content creators, or others who visit in direct support of the campaigns of partisan political candidates,” the statement, reported by NPR, said.
“Arlington National Cemetery has thoroughly informed all participants of this law and its prohibitions,” it added.
Trump’s staff has denied that there was a fight at the cemetery.
“There was no physical confrontation as described and we are prepared to release the footage if such defamatory allegations are made,” Trump spokesman Steven Chang said in response to BI’s request for comment.
“The facts are that a private photographer was allowed on the grounds and, for some reason, an anonymous individual, who was clearly suffering from a mental illness, decided to physically disrupt a member of President Trump’s team in the middle of a very solemn ceremony,” he added.
News of the incident at Arlington National Cemetery comes as the presidential election is in full swing, with President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris scheduled to debate on ABC on September 10 after fierce debate over new microphone muting rules and which network the debate will be hosted on.
On Tuesday, President Trump also received an amended indictment for election interference from Special Counsel Jack Smith.
The new indictment retains the four charges against Trump but removes details of conduct that may be protected by presidential immunity.
Representatives for the cemetery did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment sent outside regular business hours.
