Army defends employee linked to Trump campaign altercation at Arlington National Cemetery

The US Army has defended the Arlington National Cemetery employee who was “abruptly pushed aside” during an altercation with Donald Trump’s campaign staffers on Monday.

The official filed an incident report with the military after the alleged incident on Monday with Trump’s campaign staff, according to The New York Times. The altercation began when she tried to stop them from taking photos and videos in a section of the cemetery where American service members who recently died are buried.

“An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” the US Army said in a statement, defending the employee. “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”

The employee has not been identified and decided not to press charges for fear of backlash from MAGA supporters, theTimes reported.

The incident, first reported by NPR, took place while Trump was attending a commemoration ceremony for 13 US service members killed in the 2021 terror attack at Abbey Gate, outside Kabul Airport, during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The cemetery official tried to prevent Trump campaign staffers from taking photos and videos in the area, named Section 60, and two of them verbally abused and pushed her to the side, a source told the outlet.

“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 US Army’s 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