A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the U.S. Army to release any records it has of Donald Trump’s disgraceful campaign stunt at Arlington National Cemetery over the summer, when the former president reportedly defied the laws of the hallowed burial site by filming campaign content amid the graves of fallen soldiers. According to multiple news reports at the time, cemetery staff sought to prevent Trump’s campaign from filming in the cemetery’s Section 60, where political campaign activity is prohibited. Two of Trump’s campaign aides then reportedly physically assaulted the cemetery staffer who was seeking to ensure the cemetery’s laws were followed. While the Army said publicly that members of the Trump campaign pushed a cemetery employee, the cemetery staffer declined to press charges against the Trump aides, and the Army now considers the matter officially closed. The Trump campaign, for its part, denied that a physical altercation took place, with Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung telling NPR that the campaign was “prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.” But the Trump campaign never released that footage. Seeking to get the truth, American Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog that seeks to use the Freedom of Information Act to pursue accountability in government, sued to force the Army to release the records. And on Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that the Army must release any responsive records. “With the election just two weeks away, the American people have a clear and compelling interest in knowing how the government responded to an alleged incident involving a major presidential candidate who has a history of politicizing the military,” Chioma Chukwu, interim executive director of American Oversight, said in a statement. “These records belong to the public, and we’re pleased the court agreed on the need to expedite our request. We look forward to receiving the incident report and making it available to the public.” Veterans were aghast at Trump and his campaign’s refusal to adhere to cemetery rules against campaign activity. Trump took photos in Section 60, smiling and giving a thumbs-up, which were later used in campaign videos. VoteVets, a progressive veterans group, wrote in a post on X: “Donald Trump is using footage and photos his campaign took at Arlington National [Cemetery] for political purposes—against the rules and laws that govern this hallowed ground. Arlington officials tried to stop him from politicizing the cemetery, and Trump staff physically attacked them. This whole episode is sickening and affront to all those hundreds of thousands of families who never agreed to allow their deceased loved ones to be dragged into politics.” Ultimately, Trump has a long record of denigrating military service members and veterans. In September, he said more than 100 troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries from an attack during Trump’s presidency merely had “headaches.” YouTube Video In August, Trump said that the civilian Presidential Medal of Freedom was “much better” than the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest military honor awarded for valor in combat. “It’s actually much better, because everyone gets the Congressional Medal of Honor—that’s soldiers. They’re either in very bad shape because they’ve been hit so many times by bullets, or they’re dead,” Trump said. Trump has also criticized the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who spent years being tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, saying, “I like people who weren’t captured.” And Trump reportedly described troops who died serving in the military as “suckers” and “losers.” Looking to volunteer to help get out the vote? Click here to view multiple ways you can help reach voters—textbanking, phonebanking, letters, postcards, parties, canvassing. We’ve got you covered!
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