Several Republican lawmakers have defended former President Donald Trump after he was criticized for bringing a photographer with him on a visit to Arlington National Cemetery.
Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), issued statements in support of President Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to honor 13 fallen American service members.
in post Mast noted in X that Trump visited the cemetery “to comfort the families of the Gold Star medal recipients” of 13 service members who lost their lives during the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“On the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing, President Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to console the families of the 13 service members who died,” Mast wrote. “Meanwhile, Joe Biden decided to go to the beach on the third anniversary. Who do you think the media is going to attack?”
President Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery on the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing to pay tribute to the families of the 13 military personnel who died.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden decided to go to the beach for their third anniversary.
Who do you think the media will attack?
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) August 30, 2024
Cotton released a statement praising President Trump for “accepting the invitation of Gold Star families” but criticizing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I commend President Trump for accepting the invitation of the families of Gold Star recipients to gather at Arlington National Cemetery to honor their loved ones who died during the harrowing retreat from Afghanistan,” Cotton said in a statement. “The families have a right to whom they invite to commemorate this solemn anniversary, and President Trump and his aides had a right to accept the invitation. Neither the families nor President Trump violated any rules or policies of the cemetery. The real scandal here is not that the families invited President Trump or that he accepted the invitation, nor that political bureaucrats working under an incompetent Secretary of the Army disregarded the wishes of these Gold Star recipients' families. The real scandal is that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden condemned 13 brave American soldiers to death and never even had the courtesy to call or meet with the families of Gold Star recipients to express their condolences. Kamala Harris should never be the commander in chief of our military.”
Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), also defended the president after the Harris campaign criticized him for visiting families of Gold Star victims at Arlington Cemetery.
“It's disgraceful that 13 Americans have lost their lives and we haven't fired any of them,” Vance said. “Kamala Harris was asleep at the wheel, she didn't even bother to investigate what happened, and now she just wants to yell at Donald Trump because he showed up.”
WATCH: Donald Trump visits Arlington National Cemetery on anniversary of Afghanistan airport attack
After President Trump visited Arlington Cemetery on Monday, NPR News published a story alleging that Trump campaign officials got into “altercations and physical altercations” with cemetery officials who tried to prevent the staff from entering Section 60 and taking photos and video.
In response to the allegations, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chang issued a statement saying “there was no physical altercation” and that “the private photographer was allowed on the property.”
“There was no physical confrontation as described and we are prepared to make the footage public if such defamatory allegations are made,” Chang said in a statement. “The facts are that a private cameraman was allowed on the premises and, for some reason, an anonymous individual who clearly suffered from mental illness decided to physically disturb a member of President Trump's team in the middle of a very solemn ceremony.”
Darin Huber and Kelly Barnett, parents of Staff Sergeant Taylor Huber, Christy Shamblin, mother-in-law of Marine Sergeant Nicole Gee, Gee's sister Misty Rose Foco, and Gee's aunt Cheryl Jewels released a joint statement announcing that they had approved President Trump's “official videographer and photographer” to attend the Arlington National Ceremony.
Army officials issued a statement calling the incident “unfortunate.”
“This incident is unfortunate and it is also unfortunate that ANC personnel and their professionalism have been unfairly attacked,” army officials said in a statement. CNN“The ANC is the nation's hallowed ground for the nation's fallen soldiers and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure that ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect that our fallen soldiers deserve.”
