Two associates of Donald Trump who were involved in a physical altercation with an official at Arlington National Cemetery have now been identified, NPR reports.
According to NPR, the two men are Michel Picard, a member of Trump’s advance team, and Justin Caporale, Trump’s deputy campaign manager. The two verbally abused an employee who tried to stop them from filming campaign material in Section 60 of the military cemetery, the final resting place of many American soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Caporale previously served as an adviser to Melania Trump, NPR reported, and also worked for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The U.S. military said in a statement last week that the worker, a woman, was later pushed aside when she tried to enforce a rule prohibiting the use of graves for partisan political purposes.
The Trump campaign was informed of the rules in advance. Federal law also prohibits campaigning at Arlington National Cemetery.
Despite the ban, the Trump campaign certainly took photos. They even posted a campaign ad on TikTok featuring footage of the cemetery’s off-limits area.
As the US military noted in its proposition last week: “Participants in the August 26 ceremony and subsequent Section 60 visit were advised of federal law, military regulations, and DoD policy that clearly prohibit political activity at cemeteries.”
