The family of a late Green Beret soldier buried at Arlington National Cemetery is not happy that former President Donald Trump took photos and filmed TikToks in the section of the cemetery where the soldier is buried, The New York Times reports.
Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington on Monday to mark the third anniversary of the attack on U.S. troops withdrawing from Afghanistan. Trump and Republicans have often used the 2021 Kabul attack — which killed 13 U.S. service members — to slam the Biden administration.
Trump’s campaign also recorded a TikTok video at the cemetery, showing him laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The video then shows him laying a wreath at a soldier’s gravestone in Section 60, where many soldiers who died in Iraq or Afghanistan are buried.
The Times reported that Trump laid a wreath at the grave of Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, who was killed in the Kabul attack. His family had given Trump and his campaign permission to film at his grave.
But the family of Sergeant Major Andrew Marckesano, who is buried next to Hoover, has not given Trump the green light.
In a statement to The Times, Marckesano’s sister, Michele, said, “We fully support the family of Sgt. Darin Hoover and the families of others in their search for answers and accountability regarding the Afghan troop withdrawal and the tragedy at Abbey Gate.”
“However,” he told The Times, “according to our conversations with Arlington National Cemetery, Trump campaign staff did not comply with the rules established for visits to Sergeant Hoover’s grave in Section 60, which is located directly next to my brother’s grave.”
“We hope that those who visit this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly,” he added.
Marckesano served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan but died by suicide in July 2020. The Green Beret Foundation has since established the “MSG Andrew Marckesano Suicide Prevention Fund” to honor his life and raise funds to support the mental health needs of Green Berets and their families.
Trump communications director Steven Cheung directed Business Insider to a segment of the Times report, highlighting the statement from Marckesano’s sister. Cheung did not respond to questions about whether the campaign was allowed to film at Marckesano’s grave.
A previous NPR report said that two Trump staffers got into a physical altercation with a funeral director, who tried to stop the campaign from filming and taking photos in Section 60.
The cemetery confirmed to BI on Wednesday that an “incident” had occurred at the cemetery, and “a report has been filed.”
“Federal law prohibits political campaigning or election-related activities at Army National Military Cemeteries, including photographers, content creators, or anyone present for the purpose of or directly supporting a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” the statement said.
He added: “Arlington National Cemetery reinforces and disseminates this law and its prohibitions to all participants.”
The Trump camp denied there was a physical altercation at the funeral.
“There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release the recording if such defamatory claims are made,” Trump communications director Steven Cheung told BI on Tuesday.
As of this writing, the Trump campaign has not released footage of the incident.