Trump’s Awful Arlington Scandal Takes Its Most Disturbing Turn Yet

In recent days, Donald Trump has given a wildly distorted account of the confrontation at Arlington National Cemetery because his aides used the site as the backdrop for a slick campaign video. What really happened, he says, is that the families of the dead simply invited him to appear. There was no real confrontation, he claims, and Democrats simply made it up, with their aides pushing aside an Arlington official who was trying to ensure that Trump and his group were complying with the law and the ban on politicizing the sacred ground that many Americans revere.

Trump’s speech is top-down nonsense. But in what may be the most disturbing twist in this scandal yet, it increasingly looks like the Trump campaign may get away with it — because Democrats say the military is not providing basic details about the incident. The military has yet to provide congressional Democrats with its internal report on the incident detailing the standoff, though they have been demanding it for about two weeks, a congressional aide familiar with the situation told me. Democrats have also demanded a detailed account of what was reported to the Trump campaign before the incident. Trump aides have been warned against engaging in prohibited activities, and a full accounting would show the extent to which they knew in advance that their performance would violate specific laws and regulations. The aide says that hasn’t been provided either.

Three top House Democrats — Reps. Adam Smith, Jamie Raskin and Mark Takano — are expected to issue a new statement Tuesday ratcheting up pressure on the military for more information. The lawmakers — the ranking Democrats on the Armed Services and Oversight and Veterans Affairs committees, respectively — are calling on the military to provide immediate answers to their questions and are urging the military to provide a full report to the appropriate law enforcement officials who will determine whether a criminal assault occurred.

“The alleged assault of an Arlington staff member by Trump campaign staff requires a strong official response,” the three Democrats said in the statement provided to The New Republic. They added that “the failure to properly investigate this terrible incident in a timely manner and hold the perpetrators accountable undermines the integrity and honor of Arlington National Cemetery” and erodes “the standards that demand impartiality in the military.”

In a measure of Democrat frustration, the three lawmakers also said, “We urge the U.S. military to immediately provide information on how the event will be coordinated.” That’s important: It’s a reference to the Army’s recent statement that vaguely said those involved in the Aug. 26 incident were “briefed” on laws, regulations, and policies that “clearly prohibit political activity on cemetery grounds.”

The Army’s statement raises further questions about who initially contacted Arlington about Trump’s planned visit, what Trump campaign officials were briefed on in advance, what they responded to, and what special laws and regulations the Army believes were violated. Democrats have sought detailed information on all of this, but Army officials have told them they should wait until their own investigations into the incident are complete, the congressional aide told me. As the aide points out, that seems to contradict the Army’s own statement, which also says the Army “considers the matter closed.”

“I hope the military will quickly release all relevant information and warn Trump that this type of behavior could result in his being banned from the cemetery,” Raskin told me, calling the Trump campaign’s behavior “particularly egregious.”

Clearly, the failure to provide information could end up obscuring important evidence of the extent to which Trump campaign officials disregard the laws, rules, and customs of the part of Arlington that holds many Iraqi and Afghan casualties and is deeply significant to many Americans.

NPR recently reported that the two staffers who instigated the confrontation were deputy campaign manager Justin Caporale and Progress staffer Michelle Pickard. The station said the two men “verbally abused” the Arlington official simply for trying to “enforce the rules,” adding that Pickard “pushed her aside.” She considered pressing charges but ultimately declined, fearing retaliation from Trump supporters.

“As with any alleged assault, this incident must be investigated by appropriate law enforcement authorities and must be the subject of an independent indictment,” the three House Democrats said in their statement. “We urge the military to cooperate fully with the indicting authority, including providing any information they have about the alleged incident to that authority.” It’s unclear whether such an investigation is underway or whether the military has provided this information.

All of this also raises questions about what Democrats are doing in the Senate, where they hold the majority. In fact, Senate Democrats may be able to put more pressure on the military to provide information candidly and, if necessary, subpoena it (something House Democrats, who are in the minority, cannot do). Recently, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a member of the Armed Services Committee, called on the military to submit an incident report, but Senate Democrats have been largely silent on what efforts, if any, they are currently making. A strong statement from House Democrats should prompt them to be more active.

The biggest issue here is the fate of the Trump-era impeachment. It’s clear that the military is concerned that too much information about the incident could open the door to accusations of “politics.” But Trump and his movement have spent years attacking our institutions precisely to intimidate them into holding them accountable for unethical or even illegal behavior, for fear of appearing politicized.

The stakes in this scandal are once again whether Trump and the “Make America Great Again” movement will reward their public disregard for laws, rules, and norms—and their vicious threats to public officials and institutions—with a further rollback of accountability.

“He’s not going to be held accountable unless the military makes a formal determination that he violated rules and regulations, especially since he clearly did,” Smith told me. Smith added that the military’s failure suggests that in the face of Trump’s continued attacks on our institutions, “we’ve kind of given up.” As Smith concluded, “We should never tire of trying to hold him accountable.”