'Clear and compelling interest': Judge orders release of Trump cemetery incident report

22 October 2024

Details of an apparent scuffle between members of former President Donald Trump's security team and employees of Arlington National Cemetery earlier this summer will now come to light before the November election.

The Military Times reported Tuesday that a federal judge is now ordering the U.S. Army to release the full details of the confrontation Trump's entourage had with cemetery staff in August. The release of that report could come at any time, though Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ordered the full release by Friday at the latest.

Friedman's order came on the heels of a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the nonprofit American Oversight, which is a non-partisan watchdog group focused on government transparency. Chioma Chukwu, the group's interim executive director, celebrated Friedman's decision in a public statement.

“With the election just two weeks away, the American people have a clear and compelling interest in knowing how the government responded to an alleged incident involving a major presidential candidate who has a history of politicizing the military," Chukwu said.

“These records belong to the public, and we’re pleased the court agreed on the need to expedite our request,” he added. “We look forward to receiving the incident report and making it available to the public.”

On August 26, Trump went to the cemetery where many of the nation's military members killed in combat are interred, specifically to commemorate the anniversary of the deaths of 13 American enlisted men and women who died after a Taliban bombing at the Kabul airport in 2021. He attended with some of the deceased service member's relatives, who have publicly criticized President Joe Biden's administration over its handling of the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan.

While the former president was taking photos smiling and giving a thumbs-up over the grave of one deceased service member, a cemetery worker approached the group to inform them that there was no photos political activity allowed in that part of the cemetery. At that point, the employee was "abruptly pushed aside." Details of the incident remain sealed, and the Army has stated it will not be pressing charges and considers the matter "closed."

Section 60, where the incident took place, is a 14-acre plot dedicated specifically to men and women killed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Allison Jaslow, who is the CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told NPR at the time that the mere thought of a photo-op over the graves of dead veterans was an offensive concept to her.

"It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that anyone who is expecting to be an elected official would think of doing something like this," Jaslow said.

Click here to read Military Times' report in full.

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