President Trump and several family members of the fallen from the August 26, 2021 Abbey Gate terror attack had a heartfelt, dignified morning at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday honoring their loved ones on the third anniversary of the attack. Trump participated with the family members along with several grievously wounded survivors in three wreath laying ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by a visit to the graves of the fallen in Section 60.
The wreath laying ceremonies were covered by the media (somewhat), but press was not allowed by cemetery rules at Section 60. However, the Trump campaign said it had been granted permission by Arlington and the families to film at Section 60 that day.
A cemetery official on the scene tried to prevent the photographers with Trump and the families from accompanying them in Section 60, provoking an alleged incident that was reported by NPR Tuesday (excerpt):
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.
When the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump campaign staff from entering Section 60, campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside, according to the source.
..In a statement to NPR, Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s spokesman, strongly rejected the notion of a physical altercation, adding: “We are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made.
“The fact is that a private photographer was permitted on the premises and for whatever reason an unnamed individual, clearly suffering from a mental health episode, decided to physically block members of President Trump’s team during a very solemn ceremony,” Cheung said in the statement.