U.S. Army defends Arlington National Cemetery official in alleged altercation with Trump campaign

The U.S. Army on Thursday released a statement in defense of an Arlington National Cemetery official allegedly involved in an altercation with the Trump campaign on Monday.

“Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds. An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” an Army spokesperson said in the statement on Thursday.

“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked. ANC is a national shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces, and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve,” the statement said.

The spokesperson also said the cemetery employee “decided not to press charges” and the Army now “considers this matter closed.”

Former President Trump participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the cemetery to mark the third anniversary of the terror attack in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. troops during the U.S. withdraw from the country.

According to an NPR report citing anonymous sources, a cemetery official told a Trump campaign staffer that videography and photography wasn't permitted in section 60 of the cemetery and blocked it off, which resulted in a "verbal and physical altercation." 

Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign's spokesman, said in a statement that the cemetery official was "clearly suffering from a mental health episode" at the time of the alleged incident. 

"The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump's team during a very solemn ceremony. We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made," he said.

Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita told The New York Times that the cemetery official is “a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed [sic] grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”

Arlington National Cemetery has told NPR that "there was an incident, and a report was filed" but did not elaborate further.