President Trump and several family members of the fallen from the August 26, 2021 Abbey Gate terror attack had a heartfelt, dignified morning at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday honoring their loved ones on the third anniversary of the attack. Trump participated with the family members along with several grievously wounded survivors in three wreath laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by a visit to the graves of the fallen in Section 60.
— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) August 26, 2024
We honor the 13 KIA from Abbey Gate but also the wounded pic.twitter.com/a4rddgx8ie
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) August 26, 2024
The wreath laying ceremonies were covered by the media (somewhat), but press was not allowed by cemetery rules at Section 60. However, the Trump campaign said it had been granted permission by Arlington and the families to film at Section 60 that day.
A cemetery official on the scene tried to prevent the photographers with Trump and the families from accompanying them in Section 60, provoking an alleged incident that was reported by NPR Tuesday (excerpt):
Two members of Donald Trump’s campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation Monday with an official at Arlington National Cemetery, where the former president participated in a wreath-laying ceremony, NPR has learned.
A source with knowledge of the incident said the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried. The source said Arlington officials had made clear that only cemetery staff members would be authorized to take photographs or film in the area, known as Section 60.
When the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump campaign staff from entering Section 60, campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside, according to the source.
..In a statement to NPR, Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s spokesman, strongly rejected the notion of a physical altercation, adding: “We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.
“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,” Cheung said in the statement.
Cheung posted on X Twitter a copy of the permission from Arlington:
We were granted access to have a photographer there. https://t.co/s2E9lNdksK pic.twitter.com/dXbZ03hwzB
— Steven Cheung (@TheStevenCheung) August 27, 2024
The Trump campaign’s Chris LaCivita, a Marine veteran of the Gulf War awarded a Purple Heart, in a statement to reporters blasted the official at Arlington who tried to block the photographers (via Axios excerpt):
A cemetery spokesperson said federal law “prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.”
The cemetery “reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants” and “a report was filed” on the incident, added the spokesperson in the emailed statement.
…Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita said in an emailed statement that the Republican nominee was attending on the invitation of the Abbey Gate Gold Star Families.
“For a despicable individual to physically prevent President Trump’s team from accompanying him to this solemn event is a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed (sic) grounds of Arlington National Cemetery,” LaCivita said.
“Whoever this individual is spreading these lies are dishonoring the men and women of our armed forces, and they are disrespecting everyone who paid the price for defending our country.”
Others in the media picked up the story with their usual gusto.
The Washington Post assigned three reporters for their report:
Trump’s visit to Arlington Cemetery sparked an alleged altercation with aides. An NPR source said a cemetery official was pushed and verbally accosted as they tried to block campaign aides from photographing, by @KnowlesHannah @AlexHortonTX @DanLamothe https://t.co/u4uoQcTQM1
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) August 28, 2024
The New York Times report also had three reporters:
Come again? “Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign adviser, added in a separate statement that the cemetery official was ‘a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.’” https://t.co/cK0X4IGYuf via @NYTimes
— Jonathan Weisman (@jonathanweisman) August 28, 2024
Late Tuesday night the Trump campaign posted a statement by the families stating they had given permission for the photographers and expressing their appreciation for President Trump honoring their loved ones:
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 28, 2024
Video posted Monday by LaCivita from Section 60:
@realDonaldTrump speaks via phone to the family of SSG Ryan Knauss who couldn’t make it today, as he lays flowers at their boys grave … pic.twitter.com/QNUELSPJKA
— Chris LaCivita (@LaCivitaC) August 26, 2024
The post Abbey Gate Families Issue Statement on Trump Honoring the Fallen at Arlington Cemetery After Media Hit Job on Alleged “Physical Clash” With Cemetery Official Over Photographer appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.