ERIE, Pa. — Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio told Vice President Harris on Wednesday to “go to hell” if she wanted to criticize former President Donald Trump's attendance at a ceremony honoring 13 service members who died during the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Vance's criticism came after the Trump campaign reportedly got into an altercation with cemetery officials at Arlington National Cemetery, who tried to prevent them from filming and taking photos at Section 60, the burial site of military personnel killed in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In an interview with CNN, Harris spokesman Michael Tyler called the incident “deeply sad” but “not surprising.”
The vice presidential candidate was visibly annoyed when asked to comment on the incident at a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania, and sharply remarked that the Democratic presidential candidate “can go to hell” if he wanted to use the incident to attack Trump.
He then criticised Harris for not firing those responsible when the retreat took place on his watch.
“What veterans care about more is that three years ago, 13 brave, innocent Americans died. They died because Kamala Harris refused to do her job, and there was never a single investigation or firing,” he said.
“Kamala Harris is a disgrace. Do we want to talk about 13 brave, innocent Americans who lost their lives? That Kamala Harris fell asleep at the wheel and won't even investigate what happened? And then Donald Trump shows up and we want to yell at him?”
“I hope she goes to hell,” he sneered.
Vance also argued that the incident has been exaggerated by the media.
“The Arlington incident is a story created by the media, but I don't think that's really the case,” he said, adding that Gold Star families wanted Trump to visit the cemetery and that the incident was not an “insult” to the memory of fallen service members.
The Ohio senator said that officials at Arlington National Cemetery “had a little disagreement with somebody” but the media reported it to make “national news.”
on tuesday, NPR reported When former President Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony, two campaign staffers “yelled abuse at and pushed away” cemetery staff who tried to prevent them from taking photos.
A spokesperson for Arlington National Cemetery told The Washington Post there had been an “incident” and that “a report had been filed.” “Federal law prohibits political or election-related activity on the grounds of the United States Army National Cemetery, including the visit of photographers, content creators or others for campaign purposes or in direct support of partisan political candidates.”
The Trump campaign maintains that the person who confronted them about the photoshoot “suffered from a mental illness” and that “there was no physical confrontation as described,” said communications director Stephen Chang.
A Gold Star family member who was at the cemetery with Trump backed up the campaign's claims and said cemetery officials were “lying.”
“We invited Trump; he didn't invite him,” Darin Huber, father of Marine Staff Sergeant Taylor Huber, told The Washington Post in a phone interview on Wednesday.
“We invited him because we knew he would have our back and support us. He cares about us.”
“I never witnessed any physical confrontation or anything like that while I was there. And frankly, Arlington officials are lying. I mean, it's a total lie,” Huber countered.
“We wanted to commemorate with a photo what President Trump said and did and the moment he paid tribute to our children,” Huber continued.
The Gold Star family member also said Trump's support “is far greater than what this administration has done,” and that “this administration has done absolutely nothing.”
“This administration wants to sweep this issue under the rug and keep it buried forever,” Huber said.
Meanwhile, attendees at the Erie rally told The Washington Post that Vance's military experience and being a Marine Corps veteran would be a plus for the Republican candidate.
“One of the customer groups he attracts is the military,” said business owner Gene Seip, 69, who was born and raised in Erie.
Chris Knight, 68, a chef at a school in Corley, Pennsylvania, brought a hard copy of Vance's memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” and said he is a fan of Vance as much as he is of Trump.
“We're getting more veterans,” Vance said, noting that his own son was in the military. “It's important to us to keep our kids here and only send them out when they're needed.”
Additional reporting by Ethan Dodd
