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topicnews · October 24, 2024

Judge orders Defense Department to release records of incidents at Trump Arlington Cemetery

Judge orders Defense Department to release records of incidents at Trump Arlington Cemetery

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WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Army officials to release internal records by the end of the week about former President Donald Trump’s controversial visit to Arlington National Cemetery in August.

Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the request Monday in response to a lawsuit from American Oversight, a nonpartisan group that advocates for the government to release records. He signed the order on Tuesday, the group said.

American Oversight said it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking the rapid release of military records, including all incident reports from the Aug. 26 incident.

“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 with a history of politicizing the military “Chioma Chukwu, the group’s interim executive director, said in a statement following the order.

The judge’s decision follows Trump’s visit to the US military cemetery, where a wreath-laying ceremony was held in honor of 13 soldiers killed in Afghanistan as the US military withdrew from the country.

According to an Army statement, a cemetery official attempted to enforce rules against political campaign activity on the site and was “abruptly pushed aside” by Trump staffers. The cemetery official contacted police but ultimately decided not to press charges.

American Oversight said in a news release Tuesday that the judge agreed “that there is a compelling public interest in sharing information with the public as quickly as possible.”

American Oversight said it filed a FOIA request on Aug. 30 and asked Arlington to expedite processing of its request on Sept. 25. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, also called for the incident report to the secretary of the Army on Aug. 30.

During Monday’s hearing, Judge Friedman noted that American Oversight had requested an expedition after receiving no response from the Army, the nonprofit said. His court order gave the Army until Oct. 25 to release the non-exempt portions of the incident report.

A spokesman for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Army will comply with the judge’s order, Cynthia Smith, an Army spokeswoman, said Tuesday.

Trump says he and his campaign did nothing wrong

Trump insisted he did nothing wrong, but critics said the Republican nominee tried to use the ceremony for victims of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan for political purposes.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, said in late August that Trump had “disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt.”

More: ‘Disrespectful sacred ground’: Harris slams Trump over Arlington National Cemetery incident

Some veterans groups also criticized Trump. In response, Trump repeatedly raised the issue at campaign events and defended his actions.

“They tell me I used their graves for public relations services, and I didn’t,” Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania in late August.

Trump campaign officials said at the time that they had a videotape of the incident that exonerated his employees, but the company resisted public calls to release them.

The Army says the rules “clearly prohibit political activity on cemetery grounds.”

Trump was accused of violating campaign bans in one of the country’s most sacred public places. After some veterans expressed outrage at his campaign’s actions, Army officials appeared to indirectly rebuke Trump’s campaign for “unfairly” criticizing the professionalism of the cemetery employee involved in the incident.

The Army said those who attended the ceremony and visit to Section 60, where the graves of recent U.S. victims are located, were made aware of federal law, Army regulations and Department of Defense policies that “prevent political activity on the cemetery grounds.” clearly prohibit”. Trump’s campaign team took photos and filmed on site.

Trump said he was invited by the families of service members killed in action and felt compelled to attend the event despite scheduling difficulties.

“I don’t need the publicity,” he said.

Contributor: Tom Vanden Brook

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