‘You Got Them Killed’: Conservatives Rip Harris After She Accuses Trump of Arlington ‘Political Stunt’

Conservatives defended former President Donald Trump’s Monday visit to Arlington National Cemetary and attacked Vice President Kamala Harris after she called his presence at a wreath-laying ceremony there a “political stunt” Saturday.

Trump’s visit was mired in controversy after a cemetery employee accused his staffers of being pushy and disrespectful. Trump claimed no responsibility for the controversy and portrayed it as a non-issue on Thursday.

Saturday afternoon, Harris issued a scathing statement in which she repeated a claim first reported in 2020 by The Atlantic that Trump called American soldiers “suckers and losers.” She described Arlington as a “solemn place” where Americans should “honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation.” Harris added:

And yet, as was reported this week, Donald Trump’s team chose to film a video there, resulting in an altercation with cemetery staff. Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt. This is nothing new from Donald Trump. This is a man who has called our fallen service members “suckers” and “losers” and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients.

Many on the right were quick to lash out at Harris while some pointed out she previously said she was the last person to confer with Biden before he made a decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The chaotic pullout saw 13 American service members killed by a suicide bomber at the Abbey Gate at the airport in Kabul.

On Aug. 7, The Washington Post noted Harris had previously said she was the last person to speak to President Joe Biden before he authorized the Afghna withdrawal but noted her role in the decision-making process was “unclear.” The paper reported:

Harris’s role behind the scenes in one of the most consequential and controversial episodes of Biden’s presidency shows how she has sought to position herself as a vice president deeply involved in key moments — even agreeing with an interviewer that she was the “last person in the room” with Biden as he cemented his plans to pull out the troops and evacuate allies. But it also suggests the limits of her ability — or willingness — to meaningfully alter Biden’s course on historic choices. She raised important questions about the Afghanistan withdrawal before the calamitous, 17-day evacuation from Kabul but did not push for any alternative policy, according to officials who attended meetings that included her and who provided new details about the matter to The Washington Post.

One former senior military official involved in the deliberations said that Harris asked sharp questions “like a district attorney” during interagency meetings early in 2021 but revealed little about what she was thinking on the issue.

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