Trump Claims Harris 'Made Up' Story of Arlington Clash

John McCain's son calls incident a 'violation'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 3, 2024 5:36 PM CDT
Trump Claims There Was No Conflict at Arlington
Bill Barnett, grandfather of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, and Donald Trump place their hands over their hearts after placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Donald Trump has denied that there was an altercation between his staffers and an employee at Arlington National Cemetery last week—despite statements from the Pentagon to the contrary. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed the reports were invented by Vice President Kamala Harris, the Washington Post reports. "There was no conflict or 'fighting' at Arlington National Cemetery last week," Trump wrote. "It was a made up story by Comrade Kamala and her misinformation squad."

Trump claimed that Harris made up the story "to make up for the fact that she and Sleepy Joe have BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS for the INCOMPETENT AFGHANISTAN Withdrawal." Reports of the clash have been confirmed by the cemetery as well as the Army, which said the female staffer was "abruptly pushed aside" by Trump aides on Aug. 26 when she tried to enforce regulations "which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds," NPR reports. Army 1st Lt. Jimmy McCain, the youngest son of the late Sen. John McCain, tells CNN that he sees the cemetery incident as a "violation."

"These men and women that are laying in the ground there have no choice" about appearing in the background of a campaign video, says McCain, whose grandfather and great-grandfather are buried at Arlington. "I just think that for anyone who's done a lot of time in their uniform, they just understand that inherently—that it's not about you there. It's about these people who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their country." He says he changed his registration from Republican to Democrat weeks ago and he plans to vote for Harris in November. (More Donald Trump stories.)

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