Army Releases Heavily Redacted Report On Arlington Cemetery Altercation

The Department of Defense (DOD) and Army released a report Friday disclosing the details of an altercation that occurred during former President Donald Trump’s August visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

Trump honored the 13 American service members killed during President Joe Biden’s August 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal on the three-year anniversary of the incident at a ceremony that later became controversial when reports surfaced that a physical altercation had occurred between a campaign official and an Arlington National Cemetery staffer over photo restrictions. The agency released the report in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from American Oversight but details a multitude of exemptions to the request including laws protecting inter- and intra-agency communications and records pertaining to an ongoing investigation, leaving the report heavily redacted.

The report labeled the event a “simple assault” and said an action occurred with “both of hands while attempting to move past” but that no medical attention was necessary following the incident. The documents contain a sworn affidavit taken at the time of the altercation but is entirely redacted, including the name of who gave the statement.

The individual involved chose not to press charges following the incident, the report says.

The incident occurred after a cemetery staff member attempted to enforce a rule prohibiting political activity and “was abruptly pushed aside” by a Trump campaign official, according