The family of a Green Beret who committed suicide after eight combat tours and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery expressed concern Wednesday that Donald Trump's campaign photographed his grave without permission because Trump was in an area where campaign photography is prohibited.
Relatives of Staff Sgt. Andrew Marchesano released their statement two days after Trump's visit, which also included a confrontation between members of the Trump campaign and an Arlington employee. The former president's campaign filmed the video in a strictly off-limits section of the cemetery known as Section 60, which is largely reserved for fallen veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A woman working at the cemetery filed an incident report with military authorities over the altercation. But the official, whose name was not released, later declined to press charges. Military officials said she feared Trump supporters would retaliate.
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Marchesano died on July 7, 2020, after moving to Washington to begin work at the Pentagon. He had three children, and friends said he suffered from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in combat. He received the Silver Star and Bronze Star during his service. His grave is next to that of Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, a Marine who was killed in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing near the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
Hoover's family gave Trump's team permission to film and photograph at the grave site; Marchesano's family did not, and filming and photographing at the grave site for political purposes is a violation of federal law, cemetery officials say. However, Marchesano's grave was featured in photos from the visit that were posted online. Trump's TikTok account posted a video of footage from the Section 60 visit and the headstones in the background, with narration criticizing the handling of the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In a statement from Marchesano's family, following contact with The New York Times, his sister Michelle said: “We fully support the family of Staff Sgt. Darin Hoover and other families in their quest for answers and accountability for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the tragedy at Abbey Gate.”
“However,” she added, “according to our conversation with Arlington National Cemetery officials, Trump campaign staff did not adhere to the guidelines set for this visit to Staff Sergeant Hoover's grave in Section 60, which is right next to my brother's grave.”
Sister Marchesano continued: “We hope that those who visit this sacred place understand that these were real people who sacrificed themselves for our freedom and that they are given the honor and respect that they deserve.”
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, would not comment on the Marchesano family's statement, saying only that “the campaign will continue to respect the wishes of the Gold Star family members who invited President Trump” when asked about the TikTok video.
Marchesano served six tours in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and other combat missions overseas, according to news reports at the time of his death. His family is said to have sought privacy after his death.
Following Monday's altercation, the Army closed the case after an Arlington official declined to press charges. Some members of the Trump campaign became confrontational and eventually pushed a cemetery official away when she tried to stop them from taking photos in Section 60, according to three Army officials.
Two Trump campaign officials, Chung and Chris LaCivita, insulted the cemetery worker in public statements Tuesday. Chung claimed she was “suffering from a mental illness,” and LaCivita said she was a “disgusting individual” who “does not deserve to represent the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.”
Military officials said the cemetery worker feared that contacting authorities at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, which has jurisdiction over the cemetery, could expose her to retaliation from Trump supporters. Cheung said Wednesday that “that’s ridiculous and sounds like someone with Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Trump's team said it was prepared to release footage of the skirmish, but never did.
Several Army officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive aspects of the matter, sought Wednesday to keep the politically charged issue from escalating. But they also defended the cemetery official and fended off attacks from the Trump campaign, with one official saying the woman at the cemetery was simply trying to do her job.
Since Monday, the former president's visit to the cemetery has come under increasing scrutiny for its political nature.
He attended a wreath-laying ceremony for the 13 American soldiers killed in the Abbey Gate bombing during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago. Trump has said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are responsible for the bombing and America's chaotic troop withdrawal, and repeated his attacks on the issue at campaign events after his visit to the cemetery.
Trump laid three wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Monday morning, the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing. Two wreaths were dedicated to the Marines who died: Hoover and Sgt. Nicole Gee. The third was dedicated to all 13 service members who died.
Trump was accompanied by family members of the two Marines killed, as well as Sergeant Tyler Vargas-Andrews and Corporal Kelsey Linehart, two Marines wounded in the attack on Abbey Gate.
Trump then escorted the families and Marine veterans to Section 60. That portion of Trump’s visit was private and closed to the press, and led to a confrontation. The cemetery said in a statement that federal law prohibits political campaigning or “election-related” activity at military cemeteries, including by photographers, and that the ban was “widespread” among those attending the event.
For centuries, the United States has tried to keep military power and party politics separate to avoid the appearance of allegiance to a political party or ideology. Because of this, military personnel are prohibited from engaging in partisan activities or endorsing candidates while in uniform, and military bases are closed to political campaigning.
It was not clear Wednesday whether the Defense Department would file a lawsuit over the episode.
At a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, Sen. J.D. Vance, Republican of Ohio, Trump's running mate, blamed the incident on “some employee” at the cemetery and criticized the media for its coverage of the incident.
“Apparently somebody at Arlington Cemetery, some employee, had a little spat with somebody,” Vance said. “And they turned it — the media turned it into national news.”
Photos of Trump's visit to Section 60 were later posted online. Trump was photographed giving a thumbs-up to the camera while standing behind Hoover's grave, with Marchesano's grave clearly visible a few feet away. Trump posted a video to TikTok on Tuesday that also showed the two headstones in the background as Trump laid flowers.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who posted a photo of himself and Trump standing behind graves on social media, apologized Wednesday for including other photos of the Section 60 visit in a campaign email soliciting donations.
“This was not a campaign event and was never intended to be used for the campaign,” Cox said on social media. “It did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent. My campaign will apologize.”
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