The controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s Arlington National Cemetery was already a mess for the former president, but a statement from the U.S. Army on Thursday morning took the fiasco to a new level. An Army spokesman began by emphasizing in writing that those who participated in Monday’s wreath-laying ceremony were aware of federal law, military regulations and Pentagon policy that clearly prohibit political activity on cemetery grounds.
But just as strikingly, the Army spokesperson went on to explain that an employee working at the cemetery was attempting to enforce the rules when she was “abruptly shoved aside,” despite Trump campaign denials of a physical confrontation. According to the Army, “the employee acted professionally and prevented further disruption.”
If it wasn’t clear, the military generally goes out of its way to avoid making provocative statements about politicians, especially during a campaign. In this case, however, the department made an exception.
The Republican candidate, in turn, made his first public comments on the matter hours later, giving the wrong date for his Arlington visit, bragging about his time at the cemetery event, characterizing himself as a victim of slander and concluding that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had “killed” U.S. service members in Afghanistan. If that sounds ridiculous and insulting, that’s because it was ridiculous and insulting.
Around the same time, after publicly criticizing the official who works at the cemetery, Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita released a statement online calling the Defense Secretary’s office a “bunch of bunglers.”
To recap: The former president, who still suffers from a terrible history of respect for American troops and veterans, is not only embroiled in a controversy over exploiting one of the nation’s most sacred sites and flouting Arlington’s rules against politicization, but his campaign has also engaged in a public battle with the U.S. military, less than 10 weeks before Election Day.
Meanwhile, there is a burgeoning conversation on Capitol Hill about revealing answers that have not yet reached the public. Politico reported:
Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Armed Services panel, added Thursday that he wants to see the military’s report on the encounter. “As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am concerned about the reporting and want to see the incident report,” Kaine said in a statement.
VoteVets, a progressive veterans group, wasted little time throw away his public support behind the Democratic senator’s efforts, and a similar push is underway among several Democrats in the House of Representatives.
Mark Esper, who served as Defense Secretary under Trump, has also called for an investigation into the incident.
Where does the controversy go next? Watch this space.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
