It would be an overstatement to suggest Donald Trump was the first national politician to instigate a controversy at Arlington National Cemetery. In fact, during the 2000 presidential election, then-Sen. John McCain’s campaign released an ad that featured the Arizona Republican walking through the cemetery.
The U.S. Army wasted little time explaining that this wasn’t allowed; the ad was quickly edited; and as a New York Times report reminded the public over the Labor Day weekend, the GOP senator conceded that his political operation had made “a very bad mistake.”
Nearly 25 years later, another Republican presidential candidate is at the center of a similar controversy, but those waiting for a similar statement of contrition will likely be waiting for an exceedingly long time. From the Times’ report:
Mr. Trump and his campaign published photos and video of the former president laying flowers and flashing a thumbs-up at the graves of Marines killed during the withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago. Other graves are visible in the footage, including one of a Green Beret who died by suicide. The images are still online.
The core details of the former president’s controversy are difficult to dispute. Team Trump was made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and Pentagon policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds. Team Trump apparently decided to ignore those restrictions, and according to an official written statement from the U.S. Army, when an employee who works at the cemetery attempted to ensure adherence to the rules, she was “abruptly pushed aside,” despite Trump campaign denials about a physical altercation.
The Republican candidate could’ve followed McCain’s example and acknowledged the “very bad mistake.” Trump and his aides instead lashed out at the cemetery employee — a campaign spokesperson told the media she had a “mental health episode” — before ultimately calling the office of the Army Secretary a bunch of “hacks.”
In the days that followed, Trump characterized himself as a victim of the controversy, labeled the scandal a “hoax,” suggested Gold Star families might’ve been responsible for a possible “setup,” concocted new allegations about Biden White House involvement without a shred of evidence and felt justified in attacking Vice President Kamala Harris.
In my new book, I write about Republican efforts to rewrite recent history, as GOP leaders respond to indefensible circumstances by effectively telling Americans not to believe their lying eyes. It’s a systemic approach to democracy and reality, and the gaslighting invariably follows a certain pattern. It’s happened again over the last week. Team Trump didn’t like the story about the former president exploiting one of the nation’s most sacred spaces, so they rewrote it, indifferent to reality and shame. As the story enters its second week, there’s no shortage of relevant developments: Where will the controversy go next? Time will tell, but a growing number of congressional Democrats, including Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, are pursuing the matter and seeking additional information and details about what transpired. Watch this space.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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