US Army Rebukes Trump Campaign for Incident at Arlington National Cemetery

Friday, August 30, 2024

The US Army issued a stark rebuke of former President Donald Trump's presidential campaign over the incident on Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, saying in a statement on Thursday that participants in the ceremony "were made aware of federal laws" regarding political activity at the cemetery, and "abruptly pushed aside" an employee of the cemetery. "Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds. An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside," the Army spokesperson said in the statement on Thursday. Section 60 is an area in the cemetery largely reserved for the graves of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Posted by reinheitsgebot at 02:32 PM | 48 COMMENTS | permalink

Comments

No class horse's ass.

#1 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2024-08-30 10:48 AM

You can take a horses ass to a cemetery but you can't make it behave.

You can take a fat bloated narcissistic pile of crap to a cemetery, but you can't bury him. Yet.

Military conduct is a Fetish in this country.

Troops are federal employees period. What's the whole fetish of "Service" about?

There are No special cemeteries for any other type of ex government employees.

Trump and his entourage were Clearly in the WRONG on this issue. There is no excuse for the boorish behavior they displayed.

That said. The Military is over Fetishized like LE in general by the political classes.

It's like the Ex Military are Super Citizens or something.

Kinda "Starship Troopers" in a Way. Only the military are "Real" Americans?

WRONG...and Dumb.

Says the idiot Russian stooge who's closest brush with WAR was the time his mommy surprised him while he was whacking off on the toilet.

Giving a thumbs up while grinning like J. Fred Muggs is a new low.

Here in Okiehomie military service is a big deal (e.g., when boarding planes at the airport, active and retired military personnel are called to board and often applauded). This state is also deep, deep red for Der Dotard. I'll wager that no military types hereabouts dare say anything about this matter, which included the campaign and its acolytes figuratively soiling the graves of fallen soldiers. Respect for those who gave all goes only so far when a fat orange criminal insurrectionist and golf cheat is involved...

The Army should demand that the video be turned over to them, period, and fine them if there's a provision for that.

Trump already uploaded some of the footage to help his campaign. Can charges be filed now?

"Troops are federal employees period. What's the whole fetish of "Service" about?"

Umm no. Your naivety is showing again.

Federal employees are NOT covered under the rules of the UCMJ. The military are subject to the rules of the UCMJ because they are subject to military rules and discipline and may actually be to ordered to kill someone. And they will have to follow that order or face a court martial.

Federal employees are regular citizens and are covered by the Constitution. You cannot order a regular citizen to kill someone and punish them if they do not follow that order.

Veterans deserve our respect because they are ones standing between you and the bullies and dictators of the world.

Only 2% of Americans ever really get to know the hard truth about the world.

You should get on your knees and thank them every time you can for walking the wall and putting their lives on the line to keep the wolves from your door. And support them any way you can if they come back changed or wounded.

Re 11

IF they come back ... many do not.

... An ANC employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside, ...

Yeah, I read that she didn't press charges apparently because she was concerned about threats and violence from Trump- supporters is she did.

www.nytimes.com

... A woman who works at the cemetery filed an incident report with the military authorities over the altercation. But the official, who has not been identified, later declined to press charges.

Military officials said she feared Mr. Trump's supporters pursuing retaliation. ...

" WATCH: Biden and Harris families lay wreath at Arlington National Cemetery"

Now link to the political commercial they made from it.

(Checks notes ... )

WTF?!? They DIDN'T? What kind of patriots are they???

"They knew what they signed up for"., to quote the Dotard.

We have All Volunteer services. NO Draft. It's not a compulsive or coercive thing. They are recruited not Forced to be there.

So not really different from other branches of the Civil Service.

Only Draftees are compelled to "serve". We have no Draftees.

If ordered to Kill that's a free choice too.

They can take the consequences of refusing. Whatever those may be.

The military is a scam.

Not a Secular Religion like we are encouraged to believe.

This is self evident to Anyone not a mindless Conformist.

If security has blown the whistle on Trump while he was there I'm not sure who would have beat his ass first the army or the Marines.

"The military is a scam."

effete chamberlain

#8 | Posted by organ_bank

A President and Vice President have laid a wreath at the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier every year since its creation.

That is not what has veterans so PO'd. Besides aides pushing an Arlington employee, they used photos of the wreath laying AND the photos taken in Section 60 against federal rules (and common decency) in an ad.

Not kosher.

Fetidposer rears his head and utters stupidity that proves ... . Again ... he has not a clue what he is talking about.

Equating a janitor at the treasury building who applied for and agreed to wipe down the desks of bureaucrats and empty the garbage cans in the offices with private Snuffy Smith that volunteered to engage with Americas enemies in armed struggle to keep the country free, is a new low for him.

Don't deflect to the military being used politically. That's pure obfuscation. Snuffy volunteered to help defend the country. Even if he is used for purposes you disagree with, that is the fundamental reason he's there's in camo gear armed up, trained, and disciplined.

Any comparison to a civil service employee is laughable.

Signed:

Someone who was active duty army 10 years and a civil service employee for 22.

Nobody made him sign up.

Killing on Demand is a Lower way of life than being a janitor.

Janitors are useful and life affirming. They keep things clean and well ordered.

Soldiers... Not so much.

They Kill, and Maim. They project force on enemies and innocents.

Not a Noble Profession.

Just hired Thugs in uniform.

The world would be a better place with far fewer of them.

#20 | POSTED BY EFFETEPOSER

Somewhere in the universe there may be a world that never had armies. I hope you find it.

Without our armed forces America as we know it would not exist here on Earth.

And right now you would be speaking German or Japanese.

If you were allowed to speak at all.

It's a big world for little poser. Time to grow up now.

I call -------- on that. Brazil never did anything about Nazism in Europe. They still speak Portuguese. They don't get involved in European wars.

They are still a free and independent nation not occupied by any foreign powers.

America meddled significantly in Latin America but Brazil was largely ignored.

Brazil is almost as big and populated as the US. A regional power of weight.

Why could they stand aloof from European wars and upheavals but the US just HAD to get involved?

Got anything on that?

Brazil minds it own business.

America could too.

@#20 ... The world would be a better place with far fewer of them. ...

Your current alias just says that because the armies of the free world are a major barrier between Pres Putin and democracy.

"Brazil never did anything about Nazism in Europe. They still speak Portuguese. They don't get involved in European wars."

Don't an idiot! It was a World War. You really think they would have given up their goal of total world domination if America and Europe fell?

If not for American armed forces it's likely the whole world would be speaking Japanese and or German.

In a subsequently published speech given at Erlangen University in November 1930, Hitler explained to his audience that no other people had more of a right to fight for and attain "control" of the globe (Weltherrschaft, i.e. "world leadership", "world rule") than the Germans.

Seriously bro. Read a damn history book. You sound like a child or perhaps even an alien that just arrived on earth.

Re 24

In fact there is a great Sci-Fi series about that very possibility.

A great exploration of what the world would have looked like if America had lost the war.

m.imdb.com

If you want to rid the world of armies my idiot friend you will have to un-invent all the weapons and guns on the planet. And I am not even sure that's would do it. Someone would create an army of ninjas to rule over you with.

So ... Good luck with that!

The Europeans have been IMPERIALISTS for 300 years or more. Africa was totally dominated by Europeans for more than a century. No more. This kind of expansion is self limiting over time.

Hitler was just one more. Germany had No Capacity to conquer the world.

They couldn't even conquer Russia. It was too much for them. Russia trounced them and could have beaten Japan too, given time.

Japan wanted Colonies,like the West. Germany wanted colonies but chose to pursue them in Europe rather than abroad. Which failed, spectacularly.

The Axis powers had no staying power. Like Napoleon they sought endless expansion but couldn't defeat Russia. They didn't have the population or the industrial base to win. Russia has vast distances and abundant resources.

Russia is the Rock that breaks Western Imperialism. It will break NATO too.

Just watch. The next few years will show how.

Minding one's own business is the best policy.

"Let us not go abroad seeking monsters to slay" James Madison.. I believe, but it could be someone else.

If America had stayed a regional Western Hemisphere power it would have been better for humanity at large in my opinion.

"America as we know it" is a Monstrosity of Global Terror.

The most rapacious and predatory State in the world.

IMHO.

Russia is the Rock

#26 | Posted by Effeteposer

Soapstone?

@#26 ... Minding one's own business is the best policy. ...

That's why your current alias seems to want to weaken support for the US military? To make it easier for Pres Putin to achieve his expansionism goals?

Is that on the list of talking points issued?

#26 The quote was John Quincy Adams. Not James Madison.

You're a ------- little ----. ---- off, Russian stooge

My Loyal Fan... I Love You Too.

You're still a ------- ----. That's what you're paid to be. You ------- ----.

Love ya. Keep up the good work. Sweetie.

@#33 ... Keep up the good work. ...

Projecting?

Can someone post a link to the Trump campaign ad that he made from this visit? I can't find where the campaign used this footage. Weird.

This has the appearance of the Harris campaign trying to deflect from responsibility for the tragic deaths.

A Harris campaign hit piece in the Atlantic is not an ad sanctioned by the Trump campaign. Quite the opposite.

This has the appearance of the Harris campaign trying to deflect from responsibility for the tragic deaths.

POSTED BY VISITOR_

1) Harris was VP and the responsibility for any decisions regarding Afghanistan were above her pay grade at the time.

2) Your post has the appearance of still defending Trumpy for using dead soldiers as a political prop.

Can someone post a link to the Trump campaign ad that he made from this visit? I can't find where the campaign used this footage. Weird.

Then you're willfully ignorant and blind. The same afternoon, Trump's campaign created a TikTok video of Trump's visit to ANC where in his own voice he criticized Biden personally for what happened to the deceased in Afghanistan. THAT makes it political because that criticism was of his political opponent, not some heartfelt editorial comment.

Every single publication of his thumbs-up photo (by multiple people, including the Gov. of Utah who later apologized) are nothing more than campaign ads. No one shows respect for the fallen by grinning and holding one's thumb up - which is his tired self-promoting political signature, something he does every single time he stumps with voters.

Stop with the gaslighting. You simply aren't capable of anything so subtle. You don't have the intelligence to pull it off.

Harris campaign hit piece in the Atlantic is not an ad sanctioned by the Trump campaign. Quite the opposite.

#37 | POSTED BY VISITOR_

Sure. Every article not produced or approved by "fixed spews" is a Harris Campaign hit piece?

Quite the opposite.

Michael Powell is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Not the Harris campaign.

#35

Trump releases TikTok video of visit to Arlington Cemetery that sparked controversy

See video Trump campaign posted of controversial Arlington visit

Why is this ignorant troll even allowed to post here with his subversive BS?

That's hardly a campaign ad.

In contrast, the memory holing of the Biden/Harris debacle should be considered an 'in kind contribution' by the government oligarchy news collective (ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS/NPR/MSNBC/CNN...).

^ "Captain! The deflectors are already weakening! They dinna can take another shot!"

"In contrast, the memory holing ... "

Thanks for finally admitting that Trumpy used this as a campaign attack ad in order to bring attention to and REMIND everyone of the dead soldiers buried there and who then tried use the occasion (which should have been kept private) to blame their deaths on Harris (who as VP actually had no part in the decisions that led to their deaths).

A video that doesn't mention the campaign or Harris.
A video that honors the memory of fallen soldiers.
A video of a man, Trump, honoring and comforting family members is considered a "campaign attack ad".

What does that say about Harris, Donner?

In contrast, the memory holing of

of Trump's failure and abdication of responsibility for deaths caused by HIS orders should be revisited.

Trump has traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware exactly four times - fewer than half as many times as his vice president - and avoided going at all for nearly two years after getting berated for his incompetence by the father of a slain Navy SEAL, according to a former White House aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Bill Owens, the father of William "Ryan" Owens, refused to shake Trump's hand at that Feb. 1, 2017, encounter, the aide said, and then told Trump that he was responsible for his son's death for approving the disastrous raid in Yemen without bothering to understand the risks.

"He refused to go back for two years, he was so rattled," the aide said, adding that the main reason Trump had approved the raid just five days after taking office was that predecessor Barack Obama had refused to do so.

What's more, Trump made the decision at a social dinner that included his son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, and then-chief strategist Stephen Bannon, rather than his National Security Council staff.

www.huffpost.com

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that last month's deadly commando raid in Yemen, which led to the death of Navy SEAL William Ryan Owens, was planned by military officials before he came into office.

"Well, this was a mission that was started before I got here," the president said on "Fox and Friends." "This was something that was, you know, just they wanted to do. They came to see me they explained what they wanted to do, the generals, who are very respected."

"My generals are the most respected that we've had in many decades, I believe, and THEY lost Ryan," Trump added, saying that the buck stops "before I got here."

www.nbcnews.com

Trump's very first military order and it led to a needless death which he promptly blamed on the military's plans instead of his assessment of their probability of succeeding as any POTUS is supposed to do.

But of course, for those "memory holers" like yourself, Biden and Harris sat in the Oval Office and drew up flawed withdrawal plans all on their own without the military's input. That's why they're to blame for deaths caused by a suicide bombing.

Makes perfect sense, ... for hypocritical, deflecting reprobates like Trump and yourself.

What does that say about Harris, Donner?

#45 | POSTED BY VISITOR_

The tik tok Trump campaign video says:

"We didn't lose one person in 18 months." (Which is a lie)

"Then they took over that disaster."

Who do YOU think "they" were?

Let's revisit another military tragedy that left 4 American soldiers dead in Niger under Trump's orders:

US soldiers killed in Niger were outgunned, 'left behind' in hunt for ISIS leader

Four Army special operations soldiers killed in action during an ambush in Niger last October were part of a largely inexperienced and lightly-armed team outmatched by ISIS fighters who exploited bad decisions by U.S. commanders, families of the fallen soldiers and other sources briefed on the military investigation told ABC News.

"They were left on their own and it was The Alamo. They were abandoned," the parent of one of the American commandos who died told ABC News. "The sad thing is, they didn't realize they'd been left behind, and by the time the other guys attempted to get to them, it was probably too late, and they'd been killed."

And then if things couldn't have been worse for one of the wives that lost her husband, Trump piled on with this:

Trump told military widow that her husband knew what he signed up for'

A day after calling the families of four soldiers killed in Niger earlier this month to offer his condolences, President Donald Trump denied accusations from a Florida congresswoman that he callously told one widow that her dead husband "knew what he signed up for."

This is why dead soldiers should never become political pawns. As I've restated multiple times as this controversy continues to roil, every President has placed soldiers into Arlington National Cemetery due to military orders given during their presidencies. There are no exceptions because it comes with the territory of protecting this nation and our expressed national interests around the globe.

Can anyone imagine if Joe Biden had told any of the Afghanistan bombing victim's families that their lost loved one 'knew what (they) signed up for' like Trump callously did?