An official at Arlington National Cemetery, who filed an incident report after an alleged altercation with staffers from Donald Trump’s campaign, declined to press charges out of fear of retaliation from MAGA supporters.
During an appearance on CNN’s The Source on Wednesday night, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman discussed her newspaper’s report, which detailed the concerns of a Green Beret soldier’s family. The soldier’s gravesite in Arlington’s Section 60—reserved for those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan—was featured in a TikTok video posted by Trump’s campaign. The family was “clearly displeased” by the gravesite’s inclusion in the video.
Haberman highlighted that Trump might have violated federal law, which prohibits campaign photos and videos in certain sections of the cemetery, including Section 60. During the conversation, Haberman emphasized an “important” aspect of the story: the cemetery official who filed the incident report chose not to press charges, fearing retaliation.
“Military officials said that she was afraid that she was going to be retaliated against by Trump supporters,” Haberman explained. She also noted that the Trump campaign had targeted the official, suggesting she was experiencing a “mental health episode.”
Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, denied that any physical altercation occurred and stated that the campaign was prepared to release footage if necessary. Cheung told NPR, “We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.”
Cheung further asserted, “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.”
The incident underscores the tense and contentious atmosphere surrounding Trump’s campaign activities, as well as the potential legal and ethical implications of his actions at Arlington National Cemetery. The decision of the cemetery official to avoid pressing charges highlights the fear of backlash from Trump’s supporters, adding another layer of complexity to the ongoing controversy.