Jamie Raskin asks for 'full' Army report on Trump using Arlington cemetery gravestones in campaign ads

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: Rep Jamie Raskin (D-Md) has requested a "full account" and briefing from the US Army regarding former president Donald Trump’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

This comes after reports surfaced of a confrontation between Trump’s staff and cemetery officials during the visit, raising concerns about possible violations of federal law and cemetery rules as the footage was used in Trump campaign ads.

Donald Trump's campaign confrontation at Arlington Cemetery spirals controversy

Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, in a letter to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth asked for detailed information on the incident whether it “violated federal law or Cemetery rules."

Including if the Trump campaign "informed families of service members buried at the cemetery" that their gravestones might be used in campaign ads, The Hill reported. 

The incident in question occurred on August 26, 2024, during Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery to mark the anniversary of the Kabul airport attack that resulted in the deaths of 13 US service members.

Arlington National Cemetery, known for its solemnity and as the resting place of over 400,000 military veterans and their families, is generally regarded as a politics-free zone.

However, controversy arose when reports emerged that Trump’s campaign photographers “abruptly pushed aside” a female cemetery official while attempting to access Section 60, a restricted area where recent service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.

US Army indirectly slams Trump campaign altercation at Arlington Cemetery

The US Army later defended the employee involved, stating that the official was trying to enforce the rules prohibiting political activities in the cemetery, without directly dealing with Donald Trump as federal law prohibits them from getting politically involved.

“Consistent with the decorum expected at [the cemetery], this employee acted with professionalism and avoided further disruption,” the spokesperson noted.

"The incident was reported to the JBM-HH police department, but the employee subsequently decided not to press charges. Therefore, the Army considers this matter closed," the Army stated.

Jamie Raskin raises concerns about Donald Trump's campaign conduct

Jamie Raskin expressed concern that Donald Trump's campaign might have disregarded the rules they were informed of, as the footage was reportedly filmed in the restricted area for use in a political TikTok video.

“It appears that the Trump campaign – which arrived at the cemetery with a photographer and videographer – completely flouted the laws and rules they were informed of and filmed footage in the restricted area for use in a political TikTok video,” Raskin stated.

Trump, addressing the controversy on Friday remarked, “I wasn’t doing it for publicity. I get a lot of publicity. I would like to get a lot less publicity,” on Friday.

A source familiar with the event stated to NPR that Arlington Cemetery staff collaborated with the team of Republican Congressman Brian Mast of Florida, who accompanied Trump during the visit.

The staff worked directly with Mast’s chief of staff, James Langenderfer, briefing him on the cemetery’s rules, including the prohibition of campaign events and the restriction that only an official Arlington National Cemetery photographer—not a campaign photographer—could be used in Section 60.

According to the source, Langenderfer confirmed that the Trump campaign agreed to these rules.

Apology from Utah Governor adds to Arlington National Cemetery controversy

The controversy has also drawn in Utah Governor Spencer Cox, who attended the ceremony with Donald Trump and later issued an apology for posting photos of the event to his official social media accounts.

Cox clarified that the event was not intended as a campaign activity and admitted that the photos did not go through the proper channels.

“This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used by the campaign,” Cox wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. “It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent. My campaign will be sending out an apology.”