Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Friday wrote the U.S. Army requesting a full report and explanation of former President Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery following reports of a conflict between former President Trump's staff and cemetery officials.
Raskin, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter obtained by The Hill to Army Secretary Christine Warmuth, asking her to provide a report on the incident, including whether the former president's staff “violated federal law or cemetery regulations, and whether the Trump campaign notified families of military members buried at the cemetery that their headstones would be used in Trump campaign advertising.”
“I look forward to you providing the Committee with a full accounting, including an incident report, of the incident that occurred in connection with Donald Trump's campaign visit to Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024,” Raskin wrote.
The former president visited the cemetery on Monday to take part in a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the Kabul airport attack that killed 13 U.S. soldiers during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The clash reportedly occurred when the former president's photographer and campaign staff tried to enter Section 60, a restricted area where military personnel recently killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.
Members of the Trump campaign allegedly pushed cemetery officials aside when they were told they couldn't enter the cemetery. An Army spokesman defended the officials on Thursday, claiming they were trying to enforce rules against political activity at cemeteries.
” [the cemetery]”The employee acted professionally and avoided further disruption,” the official said, adding that the incident was reported to police but “the employee subsequently decided not to press charges.”
They added that the incident was “unfortunate” and that staff's “professionalism was unfairly attacked.”
The Trump campaign has disputed this, claiming that it was allowed to “have official photographers and videographers located outside the major media campaign premises.”
The Republican presidential candidate stood by his actions Friday while campaigning in Pennsylvania, saying he wasn't there for publicity as he attended a ceremony with families of those killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“I wasn't doing this for the publicity. I get a lot of publicity. I'd like to get less publicity,” he said.
In his letter, Raskin apologized to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), who attended Monday's ceremony, for sharing photos of the visit on his social media accounts and in fundraising emails.
“While Governor Cox has since apologized for using his visit to Arlington National Cemetery for political and campaign purposes, neither Mr. Trump nor his campaign has joined Governor Cox in apologizing for these apparent violations,” the lawmakers wrote.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign and the U.S. military for comment.
Emily Brooks contributed reporting.
