Raskin asks Army for incident report, briefing on Trump’s Arlington cemetery incident

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) asked the U.S. Army in a letter Friday for a full report and a briefing on former President Trump’s visit to Arlington cemetery, after reports of a confrontation between his staff and cemetery officials surfaced.

Raskin, the ranking member on the House Oversight Commitee, sent the letter, obtained by The Hill, to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth. The lawmaker asked her to provide a report on the incident, including whether the former president’s staff “violated federal law or Cemetery rules and whether the Trump campaign informed the families of servicemembers buried at the Cemetery that their gravestones would be used in Mr. Trump’s political campaign ads.” 

“I am hopeful you can provide the Committee with a full account of the incident that occurred in connection with Donald Trump’s campaign visit to Arlington National Cemetery on August 26, 2024, including the incident report,” Raskin wrote.

The former president visited the cemetery Monday to participate in a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Kabul airport assault that left 13 U.S. service members dead amid the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. The confrontation reportedly occurred when the former president’s photographers and campaign staff tried to enter Section 60 — a restricted area where service members who recently died in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.

When told they could not enter the area, members of Trump’s team allegedly shoved the cemetery official to the side. An Army spokesperson defended the employee Thursday, arguing he was trying to enforce the rules that prevent political activities in the cemetery.

“Consistent with the decorum expected at [the cemetery], this employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption,” the official said, adding the incident was reported to police but “the employee subsequently decided not to press charges.”

They added that the incident was “unfortunate,” and the employee’s “professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”

Trump’s team has pushed back on the story, saying they were permitted to have “an official photographer and/or videographer outside of the main media pool.” 

The GOP presidential nominee stood by his conduct Friday during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, saying he was not trying to get publicity when he appeared at the ceremony with the family members of those killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. 

“I wasn’t doing it for publicity. I get a lot of publicity. I would like to get a lot less publicity,” he said.

In his letter, Raskin included an apology by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), who was also at the ceremony Monday, after he shared photos of the visit on social media accounts and fundraising emails. 

“Governor Cox has since apologized for making political and campaign use of a visit to Arlington National Cemetery — but neither Mr. Trump nor his campaign have joined Governor Cox in apologizing for these blatant violations,” the lawmaker wrote.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign and U.S. Army for comment.

Emily Brooks contributed reporting.