NPR reports: Trump staff had physical altercation with Arlington Cemetery official

(Reuters) – Two members of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign team got into a “verbal and physical altercation” with an official at Arlington National Cemetery during a visit by Trump this week, NPR reported on Tuesday.

Trump attended a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to commemorate the 13 soldiers killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Later in Detroit, Trump blamed his Democratic rival for the White House, Vice President Kamal Harris, and President Joe Biden for what he called the “catastrophic” withdrawal.

Citing an anonymous source, NPR reported that a cemetery official who tried to prevent Trump campaign staff from filming and taking photographs in an area where military personnel are buried was “verbally abused and pushed aside” by Trump staff.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung denied the report. “There was no physical altercation as described and we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made,” Cheung said.

“The fact is that a private photographer was allowed onto the grounds and for some reason an unnamed individual, obviously suffering from a mental disorder, decided to physically block the path of members of President Trump's team during a very solemn ceremony.”

Arlington National Cemetery confirmed in a statement that an incident had occurred and a report had been filed.

“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election activities at U.S. Army military cemeteries, including photographers, content creators, or others who are there for that purpose or in direct support of a partisan political candidate's campaign,” the cemetery's statement said.

Requests for a copy of the report or an explanation as to why the Trump campaign was allowed to visit the cemetery as part of its election campaign were not responded to.

(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; editing by Michael Perry)