Army releases redacted report on Trump campaign incident at Arlington cemetery

The United States Army on Friday released a heavily redacted report on an incident between one of former President Donald Trump's campaign staffers and an official at Arlington National Cemetery. 

Trump participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the cemetery on Aug. 26, to mark the third anniversary of the terror attack at a Kabul airport in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. troops during the 2021 withdrawal. 

Reports at the time claimed that during the visit, a cemetery official told the staffer that videography and photography wasn't permitted in section 60 of the cemetery and blocked it off, which resulted in a "verbal and physical altercation." 

The official report identified the incident as a "simple assault," and claimed the campaign staffer made contact with the Army official “with both hands." The official, who has only been identified as a woman who is a long-time Army civilian employee, declined to press charges, citing concerns about her safety if her identity was discovered.

The incident occurred after family members of two of the service members who were killed during Abbey Gate invited the former president to Section 60 to commemorate the third anniversary of the bombing. But video and photos are not permitted in the section, and the Army said it notified Trump's team of the rules before the event.

Federal law also forbids the filming of partisan political advertisements at national cemeteries. 

“The law enforcement investigation into the incident remains open and we are therefore unable to provide further information at this time,” the Army said in a statement, per Politico.

The report comes after a judge on Tuesday forced the branch to disclose the report by Friday. It also comes as former military officials from Trump's first administration warn of the danger the former president allegedly presents to the nation.

 Former White House Chief Of Staff John Kelly, who retired from the Marines as a four-star general, claimed Trump was a "fascist," and that the former president said he wanted generals who were loyal to him like Adolf Hitler had. 

Democrats have grabbed onto the rhetoric, with Vice President Kamala Harris asserting on Wednesday that Trump would "invoke Adolf Hitler" if elected in November.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.