Army says Arlington National Cemetery official was ‘abruptly pushed aside’ during dispute with Trump campaign

An Army spokesman said Thursday that an Arlington National Cemetery official was “abruptly pushed aside” during a Dispute with the Trump campaign for political activities and photographs on the premises earlier in the week, but the employee decided not to press charges.

The army spokesman called the incident “regrettable” and said it was “also regrettable” that the cemetery worker “and her professionalism were unfairly attacked.”

The Trump campaign continues to push back against what Arlington National Cemetery called an “incident” on Monday when Trump visited the cemetery with Gold Star families whose Family members died during the 2021 retreat from Afghanistan. The Trump campaign said it had received explicit permission from the Gold Star families to bring “campaign-designated media” into Section 60 of the cemetery. Messages reviewed by CBS News confirmed that the campaign had received explicit permission from the families.

However, the rules at Army National Military Cemeteries are subject to a federal law that prohibits any filming for partisan political or fundraising purposes, even if families of the fallen request it, according to Arlington National Cemetery's media policy.

“The ANC conducts nearly 3,000 such public ceremonies annually without incident,” the Army spokesman said. “Participants in the August 26 ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were advised of federal law, Army regulations and DoD policies that clearly prohibit political activity on cemetery grounds. An ANC employee attempting to ensure compliance with these rules was abruptly pushed aside. In keeping with the decorum expected at the ANC, this employee conducted himself professionally and avoided further disruption.”

Defense Department officials had previously told CBS News that some members of the Trump campaign team had behaved unprofessionally and treated the cemetery official both verbally and physically aggressively.

The incident was reported to the Military Police, but the Arlington Cemetery official decided not to press charges, so the Army declared it considered the matter closed.

“This incident was unfortunate and it is also unfortunate that the ANC staff member and her professionalism were unfairly attacked,” the army spokesman said. “The ANC is a national shrine to the honoured dead of the armed forces and its dedicated staff will continue to ensure that public ceremonies are conducted with the dignity and respect that the nation's fallen deserve.”

Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Thursday that the “rules and regulations are very, very clear” and that the Defense Department stands behind the Army.

Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump campaign, told CBS News earlier this week that there was “no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.”

contributed to this report.