{"id":2332652,"date":"2024-08-28T14:24:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T18:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-campaign-disputes-allegations-of-altercation-during-arlington-wreath-laying-ceremony-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-28T14:31:08","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T18:31:08","slug":"trump-campaign-disputes-allegations-of-altercation-during-arlington-wreath-laying-ceremony-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-campaign-disputes-allegations-of-altercation-during-arlington-wreath-laying-ceremony-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump campaign disputes allegations of altercation during Arlington wreath-laying ceremony &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-campaign-disputes-allegations-of-altercation-during-arlington-wreath-laying-ceremony-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2332652&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During a memorial wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington \u200dNational Cemetery honoring the victims\u2064 of the Kabul Airport bombing,\u2063 members of former President Donald Trump&#8217;s campaign reportedly had \u2063a dispute with cemetery staff.\u200b The Trump campaign strongly denied that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-arrested-for-attempting-to-burn-down-mary-todd-lincolns-childhood-home-police\/\" title=\"Police have arrested a man for trying to set fire to Mary Todd Lincoln&#039;s childhood home.\">physical altercation occurred<\/a> and claimed that a private photographer \u2063was authorized to\u200c be present. They also argued that an unnamed individual attempted\u200b to obstruct Trump&#8217;s team during the event. \u2062The campaign&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/north-carolina-democrats-tout-kamala-harris-visit-as-proof-state-is-in-play-in-2024\/\" title=\"NC Dems see Kamala Harris visit as evidence state is competitive in 2024\">communications director stated<\/a> they \u2063would release footage to\u2062 counter any defamatory claims.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&#8217;s campaign manager defended their account of the\u2063 event and criticized the individual who\u200b allegedly challenged the \u2064campaign staff. Meanwhile, an Army veteran\u200c present at the ceremony described it \u200das respectful and \u200bdevoid of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-biden-blasted-for-huge-funds-reopening-schools\/\" title=\"WATCH: Biden Blasted For Huge Funds Reopening Schools\">political activity<\/a>. Guidelines from the \u200ccemetery emphasize the need for \u2064respect and the avoidance \u2062of \u2062partisan actions during such memorial services. The conflicting reports\u200d about the photographer&#8217;s authorization and the nature of the incident \u2063remain a point of \u2062contention as the Trump campaign defends its actions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump campaign disputes allegations of altercation during Arlington wreath-laying ceremony<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1738393\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>While visiting Arlington National Cemetery for a memorial wreath ceremony to honor the victims of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/war-in-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Kabul Airport bombing\">Kabul Airport bombing<\/a>, former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Kabul Airport bombing\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> campaign staff members allegedly got into a dispute with cemetery staff members.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The Trump campaign was quick to dispute the events, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/08\/27\/nx-s1-5091154\/trump-arlington-cemetery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"reported by\">reported by<\/a> NPR. Its response was backed by the family members of several of the victims.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Misty Fuoco, left, sister of Nicole Gee, and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump place a wreath in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made,&rdquo; Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in a statement. &ldquo;The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a&nbsp;mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump&rsquo;s team during a very solemn ceremony.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s team has not released footage of the alleged encounter. <\/p>\n<p>Trump campaign manager and Marine Corps veteran Chris LaCivita backed up the telling of events, calling the person who challenged the campaign staff &ldquo;despicable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Trump was there on the invitation of the Abbey Gate Gold Star Families to honor their loved ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country,&rdquo; LaCivita said. &ldquo;For a despicable individual to physically prevent President Trump&rsquo;s team from accompanying him to this solemn event is a disgrace and does not deserve to represent the hollowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We were granted access to have a photographer there. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/s2E9lNdksK\">https:\/\/t.co\/s2E9lNdksK<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dXbZ03hwzB\">pic.twitter.com\/dXbZ03hwzB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Steven Cheung (@TheStevenCheung) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheStevenCheung\/status\/1828575389783933439?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 27, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>According to the ANC website, photography is permitted on the cemetery grounds, but members of the media must be accompanied by a media escort. The only other relevant policy on the website says that the solemnity of the cemetery must be respected.<\/p>\n<p>Another relevant law is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/cfr\/text\/32\/553.32\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"32 CFR &sect; 553.32(c)\">32 CFR &sect; 553.32(c)<\/a>, which holds that &ldquo;All memorial services and ceremonies within&nbsp;Army National Military Cemeteries, other than official ceremonies, shall be purely memorial in purpose,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Memorial services and ceremonies at&nbsp;Army National Military Cemeteries&nbsp;will not include partisan political activities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cheung said the campaign photographer was approved beforehand. The source alleging the altercation told NPR that the photographer was not approved in a certain section of the cemetery, where the alleged altercation took place.<\/p>\n<p>Army veteran Lucas O&rsquo;Hara, who attended the ceremony, said it was respectful and did not involve partisan political activity.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have witnessed over 75 wreath laying ceremonies performed by politicians and conducted 524 funerals in this cemetery during the time I served in the Presidential Honor Guard for three years,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What I got to witness yesterday was the most respectful and solemn ceremony I have seen.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">U.S. Army veteran Lucas O&rsquo;Hara, who was at Arlington Cemetery on Monday honoring those killed at Abbey Gate on the third anniversary of the bombing in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have witnessed over 75 wreath laying ceremonies performed by politicians and conducted 524 funerals in this&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FmFlm87Eo3\">pic.twitter.com\/FmFlm87Eo3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KatiePavlich\/status\/1828798826385125594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 28, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;There were no speeches, no angles, no weird photo ops just our elected officials and the 45th President respectfully and solemnly honoring the fallen and their families,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Hara added.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; LaCivita said.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump campaign was also backed by the parents of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover and the mother-in-law, sister, and aunt of Sgt. Nicole Gee &mdash; two of the Abbey Gate victims. They said in a joint statement that they had given approval for Trump&rsquo;s official videographer and photographer to attend the event.<\/p>\n<p>Trump and his team had &ldquo;conducted themselves with nothing but the utmost respect and dignity for all of our service members, especially our beloved children,&rdquo; they said in the joint statement.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are deeply grateful to the president for taking the time to honor our children and for standing alongside us in our grief, offering his unwavering support during such a difficult time,&rdquo; they added. &ldquo;His compassion and respect meant more than words can express.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to Arlington National Cemetery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1738393\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1738393\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump campaign refutes claims of conflict during Arlington wreath-laying event<\/p>\n<p>During a memorial wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the victims of the Kabul Airport bombing, staff members from former President Donald Trump&#8217;s campaign reportedly had a disagreement with cemetery personnel. The Trump campaign promptly denied these allegations, as reported by NPR, and received support from family members of some victims. Misty Fuoco, sister of Nicole Gee, and Trump placed a wreath in honor of Sgt. Nicole Gee on August 26, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There was no physical altercation as described; we are ready to release footage if such defamatory claims arise,&#8221; stated Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump campaign. He explained that a private photographer was allowed on site but an unnamed individual\u2014who appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis\u2014attempted to obstruct Trump&#8217;s team during this solemn occasion.<\/p>\n<p>Chris LaCivita, Trump\u2019s campaign manager and Marine Corps veteran, supported this account and criticized the person who confronted the staff as &#8220;despicable.&#8221; He emphasized that President Trump attended at the invitation of Gold Star families to honor their loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.<\/p>\n<p>The ANC website indicates that photography is allowed in certain areas but requires media personnel to have an escort. Cheung asserted that their photographer had prior approval; however, sources claiming there was an altercation suggested he wasn&#8217;t authorized in that specific area where it allegedly occurred. Army veteran Lucas O&#8217;Hara attended the ceremony and described it as respectful without any partisan political activities involved.<\/p>\n<p>O&#8217;Hara noted he has witnessed numerous ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and found this one particularly solemn: &#8220;There were no speeches or photo opportunities\u2014just our elected officials and President Trump honoring those who have fallen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>LaCivita condemned those spreading falsehoods about the event for dishonoring military service members. The parents of Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover along with relatives of Sgt. Nicole Gee also expressed support for Trump&#8217;s team in a joint statement affirming they had approved his official videographer&#8217;s presence at the event while praising his respectful conduct throughout<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2332653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Trump-Arlington-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5609,7888,4087,3634],"class_list":["post-2332652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-allegations","tag-altercation","tag-campaign","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Trump-Arlington-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2332652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2332653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2332652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2332652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2332652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}