A number of Republicans have jumped to former President Donald Trump’s protection after he was criticized for having a photographer throughout his go to to Arlington Nationwide Cemetery.
Republicans comparable to Rep. Brian Mast (FL) and Sen. Tom Cotton (AR) issued statements supporting Trump’s go to to Arlington Nationwide Cemetery on Monday to honor 13 fallen American servicemembers.
In a publish on X, Mast identified that Trump had been on the cemetery “to consolation the Gold Star households” of the 13 service members whose lives had been misplaced through the Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal.
“President Trump went to Arlington Nationwide Cemetery on the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing to consolation the Gold Star households of the 13 service members we misplaced,” Mast wrote. “Joe Biden, in the meantime, determined to go to the seaside on the third anniversary. Guess who the media assaults?”
President Trump went to Arlington Nationwide Cemetery on the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing to consolation the Gold Star households of the 13 service members we misplaced.
Joe Biden, in the meantime, determined to go to the seaside on the third anniversary.
Guess who the media assaults?
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) August 30, 2024
Cotton issued an announcement praising Trump “for accepting the invitation of the Gold Star households,” whereas criticizing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I commend President Trump for accepting the invitation of the Gold Star households to hitch them at Arlington Nationwide Cemetery to honor their family members who died through the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Cotton mentioned in an announcement. “The households had each proper to ask whomever they wished to commemorate this solemn anniversary, simply as President Trump and his aides had each proper to simply accept their invitation; neither the households nor President Trump violated cemetery rules or insurance policies. The actual scandal right here isn’t that the households invited President Trump or that he accepted their invitation, and it’s not even that political apparatchiks working for the incompetent secretary of the Military disrespected the needs of those Gold Star households. The actual scandal is that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden condemned 13 courageous American troops to dying and didn’t even have the decency to name or meet with the Gold Star households to specific their condolences. Kamala Harris ought to by no means be our army’s commander-in-chief.”
Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), Trump’s operating mate, additionally got here to Trump’s protection after the Harris marketing campaign criticized the previous president for visiting Gold Star households at Arlington Cemetery.
“To have these 13 Individuals lose their lives and never hearth a single particular person is disgraceful,” Vance mentioned. “Kamala Harris is so asleep on the wheel that she gained’t even do an investigation into what occurred however needs to yell at Donald Trump for displaying up.”
Watch: Donald Trump Visits Arlington Nationwide Cemetery on Anniversary of Afghanistan Airport Assault
After Trump’s go to to Arlington Cemetery on Monday, NPR Information launched an article claiming that Trump marketing campaign officers had gotten right into a “verbal and bodily altercation” with a cemetery official who had tried to stop employees from having the ability to enter Part 60 and taking photographs and filming.
In response to the allegations, Trump marketing campaign spokesman Steven Cheung issued an announcement that there had been “no bodily altercation” and {that a} “personal photographer was permitted on the premises.”
“There was no bodily altercation as described and we’re ready to launch footage if such defamatory claims are made,” Cheung mentioned in his assertion. “The very fact is {that a} personal photographer was permitted on the premises and for no matter cause an unnamed particular person, clearly affected by a psychological well being episode, determined to bodily block members of President Trump’s group throughout a really solemn ceremony.”
Darrin Hoover and Kelly Barnett, the mother and father of Employees Sgt. Taylor Hoover; Christy Shamblin, the mother-in-law of Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee; Misty Rose Fuoco, Gee’s sister, and Cheryl Juels, Gee’s aunt issued a joint assertion revealing that that they had accredited Trump’s “official videographer and photographer” to attend the ceremony at Arlington Nationwide Ceremony.
An Military official issued an announcement labeling the incident as “unlucky.”
“This incident was unlucky, and additionally it is unlucky that the ANC worker and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked,” the Military official mentioned in an announcement, in accordance with CNN. “ANC is a nationwide shrine to the honored useless of the Armed Forces, and its devoted employees will proceed to make sure public ceremonies are carried out with the dignity and respect the nation’s fallen deserve.”
