Vice President Kamala Harris criticized former President Donald Trump over the recent controversy involving his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery, saying the military burial site is “no place for politics.”
Ms Harris hit out at Trump in a post on social media on Saturday, writing that he had “desecrated sacred ground for a political stunt”.
The US military said a Trump staffer “abruptly pushed aside” a cemetery employee who was trying to warn his team about rules against filming at the cemetery.
The Trump campaign has disputed the version of events at the cemetery and said they had permission from the families of the fallen soldiers to film.
The incident took place on Monday when Trump was at an event to honor 13 US military service members who were killed during the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago.
Saturday’s post was the first time Ms Harris, a Democratic presidential candidate, has commented on the controversy.
She wrote that she had visited Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia several times during her tenure as vice president, and would never use the site for political gain.
“If there is one thing all of us Americans can agree on, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members must be honored, never disrespected, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude,” Ms. Harris said.
“And I believe that a man who cannot fulfill this simple, sacred duty should never again stand behind the Seal of the President of the United States.”
At a campaign rally in Michigan on Thursday, Trump hit back at those who criticized him over the incident.
He said he was asked by family members of martyred soldiers to take photographs at the memorial site.
“I go out there, they ask me for a picture and they say I was campaigning,” Trump said. “One thing I get a lot of is publicity. I don’t need it. I don’t need publicity.”
NPR previously reported that two members of Trump’s campaign staff verbally abused the worker and pushed her when she tried to intervene.
Federal law prohibits the use of cemeteries for political campaigning, and the American Legion said participants were warned in advance of the rules.
A U.S. military spokesman said Thursday that “the incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and his professionalism were unfairly attacked.”
The Trump campaign has denied that any physical altercation took place at the cemetery, and said “we stand prepared to release the footage if such outrageous claims are made”.
After this, the House Democrats have asked the US Army for a report on the incident and also asked what had happened.
