For the LOVE of God, trump's doing it again. Desperate to show himself as a virtuous leader, trump's violating holy ground for a staged photo op: This time our nation's most honored cemetery for our military fallen (via Quil Lawrence and Tom Bowman at NPR):
Two members of Donald Trump's campaign staff had a verbal and physical altercation Monday with an official at Arlington National Cemetery, where the former president participated in a wreath-laying ceremony, NPR has learned.
A source with knowledge of the incident said the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried. The source said Arlington officials had made clear that only cemetery staff members would be authorized to take photographs or film in the area, known as Section 60...
Trump participated in an event to mark the third anniversary of a deadly attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan as U.S. forces withdrew from the country; 13 U.S. service members were killed in the attack. The Trump campaign has blamed President Biden and Vice President Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, for the chaotic withdrawal...
trump is also trying to deflect from the reality that it was HIS administration in December 2020 - when it became clear he was losing the election to Biden - that brokered the deal with the Taliban that led to the U.S. withdrawal and collapse of our backed government there. I wish the national media would remember that and not let trump avoid his accountability. Thing is, he's accountable now for possibly violating federal law by staging his photo op where he shouldn't:
In a statement to NPR, Arlington National Cemetery said it "can confirm there was an incident, and a report was filed."
"Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate's campaign," according to the statement. "Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants."
Look, if there IS a federal law in the US Code for this, give us the chapter and verse, people! If trump committed a felony trespass, and if he committed a felony campaign violation, if he even committed some dinky misdemeanor in the rule books, charge the son of a bitch.
Stop letting trump get away with his godforsaken campaign stunts that mock everyone and causes real harm to the people he thinks are standing in his way.
And make him answer - one way or another - for the shame he keeps committing against our men and women in the military.
Update 8/28/24: Follow up on social media pointed me to the Code of Federal Regulations - the administrative side of how agencies interpret and enforce the US Code - specifically to 32 CFR 553: Army Cemeteries. The specific rule is 32 CFR 553.32(c):
Memorial services and ceremonies at Army National Military Cemeteries will not include partisan political activities.
The CFR relies on the 38 USC Section 2413 as one of its legal foundations: It issues the prohibition any form of protest or disruption at a memorial service. While trump wasn't protesting per se, his photo op staging could well have led to such disruptions, hence the ban.
Some of the legal experts I know at TNC's Horde are pointing out there may be no criminal remedy - except for the physical assault of a park ranger - but civil ones. Still, trump needs to understand he can't get away with this outrageous bullshit of turning our national memorial sites into his playgrounds.
1 comment:
Fergus thinks that the law violation will drive more press coverage, and he will never be made to answer by that same press for his despicable actions. So far, he is correct.
-Doug in Sugar Pine
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