Aug. 31 (UPI) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday said former President Donald Trump “disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt” during her Republican rival’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery.
Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, posted her comments on X about the incident on Monday in which the U.S. Army said that a member of Trump’s presidential campaign staff “abruptly pushed aside” a staff member at the cemetery so that Trump and his campaign could take photos and videos with families of service members who died during the U.S. military’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was also photographed at the event, with Trump, and issued an apology after the photo was used by his campaign staff. The use of Arlington Cemetery photos taken in certain sections of the grounds and used for political gain is prohibited by the Hatch Act of 1939. Read about Cox’s involvement here.
Harris wrote in her criticism of Trump that, “If there is one thing on which we as Americans can all agree, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members should be honored, never disparaged, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude.
“And it is my belief that someone who cannot meet this simple, sacred duty should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America.”
Harris characterized the incident as representative of Trump’s behavior.
“This is nothing new from Donald Trump,” she wrote. “This is a man who has called our fallen service members ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’ and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients. A man who, during a previous visit to the cemetery, reportedly said of fallen service members, ‘I don’t get it. What was in it for them?’ This is a man who is unable to comprehend anything other than service to himself.”
Harris said she has frequently visited the cemetery.
“It is a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation,” she wrote. “It is not a place for politics.”
The incident occurred in Section 60, where taking videos and photos is usually prohibited.
Trump and campaign officials defended the visit.
During an interview with NBC News Thursday, Trump said a family “asked me whether or not I would stand for a picture at the grave of their loved one who should not have died.”
He claimed that he did not request to take photos and videos, and said, “While I was there, I didn’t ask for a picture. While I was there, they said, ‘Sir, could we have a picture at the grave?'”
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, posted on X: “President Trump was there at the invitation of families whose loved ones died because of your incompetence. Why don’t you get off social media and go launch an investigation into their unnecessary deaths?”
And Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt blamed Harris for the servicemembers’ deaths during the Afghanistan withdrawal, which occurred during the Biden administration.
“Kamala’s stupidity led to one of the most embarrassing events in American history and 13 brave US soldiers being killed,” Leavitt posted on X. “For this alone, Kamala does not deserve to be elected. Kamala has already proven that she would be a dangerously incompetent Commander in Chief.”
The cemetery said in a statement that “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.”
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland on Friday sent a letter to the U.S. Army requesting a report into the altercation.
Raskin wrote to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth that he was “hopeful you can provide the Committee with a full account” of the incident.
He noted the Oversight Committee has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
Raskin’s letter detailed the incident.
“Although the incident was reported to the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall police department, reporting indicates the employee declined to press charges for fear that Trump supporters would retaliate against her,” Raskin wrote.
