Kamala Harris criticises Trump over Arlington Cemetery dispute
Vice-President Kamala Harris has criticised former president Donald Trump over a recent controversy involving his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery, saying the military burial site is “not a place for politics”.
Earlier in the week, the US Army said a Trump staffer “abruptly pushed aside” an Arlington employee as they tried to warn his team about rules against filming in the cemetery.
The event attended by Trump on Monday was to honour 13 US military service members who were killed during the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago.
The Trump campaign has disputed the cemetery's version of events, and was invited by the families of the fallen soldiers.
Ms Harris wrote that Trump “disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt”.
Saturday’s social media post marked the first time Ms Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, commented on the controversy.
She said she had visited the cemetery in Virginia several times during her tenure as vice-president, and she would never use the site for political gain.
“If there is one thing on which we as Americans can all agree, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members should be honoured, never disparaged, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude,” Ms Harris said.
“And it is my belief that someone who cannot meet this simple, sacred duty should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America.”
At a campaign rally in Michigan on Thursday, Trump hit back at those who had criticised him over the incident.
He said he had been asked to pose for a photo at the site after the memorial by family members of the soldiers who had died.
“I go there, they ask me to have a picture and they say I was campaigning,” Trump said. “The one thing I get plenty of is publicity. I don't need that. I don't need the publicity.”
On Sunday, the Trump campaign released a statement from the Gold Star military families that invited him to the event, saying the former president was there to honour the sacrifice of their relatives who were killed.
They also took aim at Ms Harris in the statement, saying she has "disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy".
Meanwhile, Trump's running mate JD Vance used the controversy to attack the Biden administration over its handling of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying that Ms Harris "can go to hell".
"Three years ago, 13 brave, innocent Americans died, and they died because Kamala Harris refused to do her job," Mr Vance said in response to questions from BBC's US partner, CBS News.
NPR reported earlier that two members of Trump’s campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the cemetery worker aside when she tried to intervene.
Federal law prevents use of the cemetery for political campaigning and the US Army said participants were warned of the rules in advance.
A US Army spokesperson said that “the incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”
The Trump campaign has denied that a physical altercation took place at the cemetery, adding “we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made”.
House Democrats have since asked the US Army for a report into the incident, asking for a “full account” of what happened.
