Arlington employee ‘abruptly pushed’ by Trump campaign staff declined to press charges over fears of ‘retaliation’

The US Army has confirmed that a female Arlington National Cemetery official was “abruptly pushed aside” during an altercation with Donald Trump’s campaign staffers – but declined to press charges for fear of “retaliation” from the former president’s followers.

The official filed an incident report with the military after the alleged incident with Trump’s press secretary Steven Cheung and campaign co-manager Chris LaCivita, according to the The New York Times, which was prompted when she tried to stop them from taking photos and videos inside a section of the cemetery where recent US casualties are buried.

While she remains unidentified, fear of backlash from MAGA supporters prompted her to decide not to press charges, the Times reported.

A US Army spokesperson toldThe Independent on Thursday that participants at Monday’s wreath-laying ceremony were made aware of federal laws and regulations prohibiting political activities on cemetery grounds.

“Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds,” the statement said.

“An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside. Consistent with the decorum expected at ANC, this employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption.

“The incident was reported to the JBM-HH police department, but the employee subsequently decided not to press charges. Therefore, the Army considers this matter closed.”

The statement continued: “This incident was unfortunate and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”

The incident, first