The family of a Green Beret who committed suicide after eight military tours and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery expressed concern on Wednesday that Donald Trump’s campaign team filmed his grave without permission while Trump was standing in a place where campaign photography is not allowed.
Family members of Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano released their statement two days after Trump’s visit, which included a confrontation between Trump campaign members and an Arlington employee. The former president’s campaign videotaped a heavily cordoned-off section of the cemetery, known as Section 60, that is largely reserved for fallen veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A woman who works at the cemetery filed an incident report with military authorities about the altercation. But the official, who has not been identified, later declined to press charges. Military officials said she feared Trump supporters would retaliate.
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Marckesano died on July 7, 2020, after moving to Washington to start a job at the Pentagon. He had three children, and friends said he had chronic post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in combat. He earned Silver and Bronze Stars during his service. His grave is next to that of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, a Marine killed in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing outside Kabul Airport in Afghanistan.
The Hoover family gave Trump’s team permission to film and take photos at the cemetery; the Marckesanos did not, and filming and taking photos at the cemetery for political purposes violates federal law, cemetery officials said. Still, Marckesano’s grave was shown in photos of the visit that were posted online. A video posted to Trump’s TikTok account showed footage of the Section 60 visit and the gravestones from behind, with commentary criticizing the U.S. handling of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In a statement released by Marckesano’s family after being contacted by The New York Times, his sister Michele said: “We fully support the family of Staff Sergeant Darin Hoover and the other families in their search for answers and accountability regarding the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the tragedy at Abbey Gate.”
“However,” she added, “according to our conversation with Arlington National Cemetery, Trump campaign staff did not adhere to the rules set forth for this visit to Staff Sergeant Hoover’s grave in Section 60, which is directly adjacent to my brother’s grave.”
Marckesano’s sister continued: “We hope that those who visit this sacred place understand that these were real people who made sacrifices for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly.”
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, did not respond to the Marckesano family’s statement. When asked about the TikTok video, he said only that “the campaign will continue to respect the wishes of the members of the Gold Star family who invited President Trump.”
Marckesano had served six tours in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne and others in combat overseas, according to news reports at the time of his death. His family has reportedly sought privacy since his death.
Following Monday’s skirmish, the military closed the case after the Arlington official declined to press charges. According to three U.S. military officials, members of the Trump campaign confronted the cemetery official and eventually pushed him past her when she tried to stop them from taking photos in Section 60.
Two Trump campaign officials, Cheung and Chris LaCivita, had insulted the cemetery worker in public statements on Tuesday. Cheung claimed she was “suffering from a mental health episode,” while LaCivita said she was a “despicable individual” who “does not deserve to represent the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”
Military officials said the cemetery worker feared that pursuing the matter with authorities at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, which has jurisdiction over the cemetery, could expose her to reprisals from Trump supporters. Cheung said in a statement Wednesday that “that is ridiculous and sounds like someone with Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Trump’s team had said it was prepared to release footage of the skirmish, but that never happened.
Several Army officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential aspects of the matter, sought Wednesday to avoid escalating the politically charged issue. But they also defended the cemetery official and pushed back against attacks from the Trump campaign, with one official saying the woman at the cemetery was simply trying to do her job.
Since Monday, there has been increasing criticism of the former president’s visit to the cemetery because of its political nature.
He was there for a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of 13 American soldiers killed three years ago in the Abbey Gate bombing during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump has blamed President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the bombing and America’s chaotic withdrawal, and reiterated his attacks on the subject at campaign events after his visit to the cemetery.
Trump laid three wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Monday morning, the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing. Two of the wreaths were for the fallen Marines: Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee. A third was dedicated to all 13 soldiers who died.
Trump was joined there by family members of the two slain Marines, as well as Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews and Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart, two Marines wounded in the attack on Abbey Gate.
Trump then accompanied the Navy families and veterans to Section 60. That portion of Trump’s visit was private and closed to the press, and resulted in the confrontation. In a statement, the cemetery said federal law prohibited political campaigning or “election-related” activities at military cemeteries, including by photographers, and that the ban was “widely shared” by those attending the event.
For centuries, the United States has tried to separate military power from partisan politics, to avoid the appearance of loyalty to a political party or ideology. As a result, military personnel are prohibited from participating in partisan political activities or endorsing candidates while in uniform, and military bases are off-limits to political campaigning.
It was unclear Wednesday whether the Defense Department would file a legal claim over the episode.
Campaigning in Erie, Pennsylvania, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Trump’s running mate, on Wednesday blamed “a staffer” at the cemetery for the incident and criticized the media for its coverage.
“Apparently someone at Arlington Cemetery, a staff member, had a little disagreement with someone,” Vance said. “And they — the media turned this into a national news story.”
Photos of Trump’s visit to Section 60 were later posted online. Trump was photographed giving a “thumbs up” to the camera while standing behind Hoover’s grave, with Marckesano’s grave clearly visible a few feet away. Trump posted the video to TikTok on Tuesday, which also showed the two gravestones from behind as Trump laid flowers.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who posted a photo of himself and Trump behind the graves on social media, apologized Wednesday for including other photos of the Section 60 visit in a campaign email soliciting donations.
“This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used by the campaign,” Cox said on social media. “It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent. My campaign will be sending an apology.”
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