US Army criticizes Donald Trump’s staff for “bumps” during visit to Arlington Cemetery: “This incident was…”

Trump walked to Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington with family members of some of the 13 soldiers killed in a bombing in the final hours of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

His campaign released photos of the visit, including one showing him standing with relatives at the grave of one of the slain Marines, giving a thumbs up.

The Army said an Arlington employee was “abruptly pushed aside” when she tried to advocate for compliance with a law banning political activities on cemetery grounds.

“This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the (Arlington National Cemetery) employee and her professionalism were unfairly attacked,” an Army spokesman said in a statement.

Chris LaCivita, co-manager of Trump's campaign team, went on the offensive, calling the staffer a “despicable individual,” while campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said she was “obviously suffering from a mental attack.”

Trump has made criticism of President Joe Biden's handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan a central theme of his campaign ahead of the November election.

The withdrawal took place as part of a peace agreement signed by the Trump administration with the Taliban.

The uproar over Monday's incident in Arlington is the latest controversy in Trump's troubled relationship with the military.

While he often expressed his support for the armed forces, during his presidency he privately mocked soldiers killed in war and, according to his former chief of staff, did not want to be seen near amputee soldiers.