Gold Star mom ‘surprised’ about Trump staff Arlington incident

( NewsNation ) — Kelly Barnett, whose son was one of the 13 U.S. service members killed during the Afghanistan withdrawal, says she was “100% surprised” to hear about former President Donald Trump’s campaign staff having a “verbal and physical altercation” with an Arlington National Cemetery official during a recent visit.

Trump last Monday participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery honoring the service members killed during the withdrawal in 2021, including Barnett’s son.

Barnett told NewsNation her experience at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that day was “so peaceful, so respectful, so quiet.”

“My heart was full,” Barnett recalled in a recent interview. “Everybody was respectful. Trump team, Arlington staff. We had no idea there was even anything going on, never heard anything, never saw anything.”

However, NPR reported that two members of Trump’s campaign staff got into an altercation with an Arlington National Cemetery official during the visit. A source told the news outlet that when the official tried to stop the staffers from filming and photographing in an area where service members are buried, the Trump staff “verbally abused and pushed the official aside.”

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung disputed the report, but Arlington National Cemetery confirmed the incident had occurred and a report was filed on it.

“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” the cemetery said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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