Trump campaign staff had altercation with official at Arlington National Cemetery

[Dulcinea]

(NPR) Two members of Donald Trump's campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation Monday with an official at Arlington National Cemetery, where the former president participated in a wreath-laying ceremony, NPR has learned.

A source with knowledge of the incident said the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried. The source said Arlington officials had made clear that only cemetery staff members would be authorized to take photographs or film in the area, known as Section 60.

When the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump campaign staff from entering Section 60, campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside, according to the source.

Trump participated in an event to mark the third anniversary of a deadly attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan as U.S. forces withdrew from the country; 13 U.S. service members were killed in the attack. The Trump campaign has blamed President Biden and Vice President Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, for the chaotic withdrawal.

https://www.npr.org/2024/08/27/nx-s1-5091154/trump-arlington-cemetery

[Walleye]

1. Trump participated in an event, or initiated the event?

[Irish_Dem]

2. Why aren't charges being pressed?

[John1956PA]

4. Police investigations require a bit of time for completion.

Interviews with the victim, the witnessess, and the perpetrator(s) could require weeks to complete.

It may be a tough case to prove. I hope there is cell phone video. However, due to the apparent short timespan of the altercation, it is unlikely that a video of the critical moments was recorded.

[Irish_Dem]

5. Do you think charges have been pressed?

Or will the Cemetery staff let it go?

I would think there might be witnesses.
But even if the case cannot be proven, at least charges could be filed.

[John1956PA]

6. I should not hazard an opinion, since I am not an expert.

Of course, I detest Trump and his cringe-inducing associates. They were passive-aggressive, to say the least, in the entire episode. They never asked permission from the cemetery personnel regarding their abominable trek across the hallowed ground. I would like to see the Team Trump player who pushed the government employee to spend time in jail. After the despicable actions of Trump and his aides, a repugnant Trump spokesman suggested that the victim had not identified himself as holding a position of authority regarding the cemetery, which is likely a lie. That same spokesman also said that Trump's team is in possession of videos of the scuffle, which also is likely a lie. Anyway, police are loath to file charges unless the evidence tends to show that a conviction will be likely.

[Irish_Dem]

7. Thank you for the explanation.

I hate to see these people get away with their despicable deeds.
But it may be not a viable court case as you say.

[dlk]

3. There has never been enough reporting in media about Trump's deal to end the war in Afghanistan

It was one of the many poison pills he left for President Biden and the mainstream press has given Trump yet another pass. Now that he's running for reelection, he thinks it would be a good photo op to commemorate the chaos, and bloodshed he originally set up to happen. Could Trump be any more sick and twisted?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Why Trump's 'incident' at Arlington National Cemetery matters

Donald Trump's appearance at Arlington National Cemetery this week was already controversial. Then the public learned about an "incident."

Link to tweet

In a normal, healthy political environment, Trump’s Arlington National Cemetery controversy would probably dominate the political conversation for months.

And if Harris were caught up in a similar mess, she’d likely face calls to quit.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-incident-arlington-national-cemetery-matters-rcna168577

If we were to stop the story here, it would already be the basis for a legitimate controversy. Indeed, Esquire published a memorable headline alongside a Charles P. Pierce column this week: “How The Hell Was Trump Allowed To Use Arlington National Cemetery As A Campaign Prop?”

But that was before the story managed to get even worse. NBC News reported:

Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday confirmed an incident took place when former President Donald Trump visited there Monday to commemorate the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate attacks in Afghanistan. “We can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed,” the statement read.

The details of what transpired are still coming together. NPR reported, for example, that that two members of Trump’s campaign staff “had a verbal and physical altercation” with an official at Arlington National Cemetery, but that hasn't been independently confirmed by MSNBC or NBC News.

Other relevant details, however, are clear.

“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 statement added. “Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”.....

I don’t imagine we’ve heard the last of this story, but as it progresses, it’s hard not to wonder what the political world’s reaction might be if a Democratic candidate were caught up in a similar controversy. How many GOP officeholders would call for him or her to quit the race?