(Reuters) – Two members of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign staff had a “verbal and physical altercation” with an Arlington National Cemetery official during a visit by Trump this week, NPR reported on Tuesday.
Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to honor the 13 service members killed during the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Later in Detroit, Trump blamed Vice President Kamal Harris, his Democratic rival for the White House, and President Joe Biden for what he called a “catastrophic” withdrawal.
Citing an unnamed source, NPR reported that when a cemetery official tried to prevent Trump campaign staffers from filming and photographing in an area where officials are buried, “Trump staff verbally abused and shoved the official aside.”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung disputed the report. “There was no physical altercation described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made,” Cheung said.
“In fact, a private photographer was allowed on the premises and for some reason an unnamed individual, apparently suffering from an episode of mental illness, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony.”
Arlington National Cemetery confirmed in a statement that an incident had occurred and that a report had been filed.
“Federal law prohibits political campaigning or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators, or other persons participating for the purpose of, or in direct support of, a partisan candidate’s campaign,” the cemetery said.
It did not respond to requests for a copy of the report or an explanation of why the Trump campaign was allowed to visit the cemetery as part of his campaign.
(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Michael Perry)