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Dennis Donovan

(28,048 posts)
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 01:06 PM Sep 2024

Greg Sargent: Trump's Awful Arlington Scandal Takes Its Most Disturbing Turn Yet



Greg Sargent
News --> Dems are frustrated with the Army for failing to provide the incident report and other details on Trump's Arlington scandal.

Reps Adam Smith and Jamie Raskin are now calling for a "strong official response."

Lots of new reporting on this here:


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

House Democrats are trying to get to the bottom of the still-murky cemetery story. Is Trump going to get away with it again?

In recent days, Donald Trump has offered a highly distorted account of the confrontation at Arlington National Cemetery over his aides’ use of the site as a backdrop for a slickly produced campaign video. What really happened, he has said, is that families of the fallen simply invited him to appear. There was no real confrontation, he claims, and Democrats simply made up the incident, in which his aides shoved aside an Arlington official who tried to ensure that Trump and his group followed the law and respected the prohibition against politicizing hallowed ground that many Americans revere.

Trump’s account is nonsense from top to bottom. But in what may be this scandal’s most disturbing turn yet, it’s increasingly looking like Trump’s campaign could get away with it—because, Democrats say, the Army is not being forthcoming about basic details of the incident.

The Army has yet to provide Democrats in Congress with its internal incident report detailing the confrontation, even though they have been demanding it for almost two weeks, a congressional aide familiar with the situation tells me. Democrats have also demanded a blow-by-blow account of what exactly was communicated to the Trump campaign before the incident. Trump aides were warned against carrying out prohibited activities, and a full accounting would show the degree to which they knew in advance that their filming would violate specific laws and regulations. That has not been forthcoming either, the aide says.

Three senior House Democrats—Representatives Adam Smith, Jamie Raskin, and Mark Takano—are set to release a new statement Tuesday that increases the pressure on the Army for more information. The lawmakers—ranking Democrats on the Armed Services, Oversight, and Veterans’ Affairs committees, respectively—call on the Army to immediately provide answers to their questions, and they urge the Army to offer a full accounting to relevant law enforcement officials who would decide if a criminal assault took place.

/snip
21 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Greg Sargent: Trump's Awful Arlington Scandal Takes Its Most Disturbing Turn Yet (Original Post) Dennis Donovan Sep 2024 OP
We know who the boss is. If the army doesn't want to release everything, Biden needs to make them want to. brewens Sep 2024 #1
Dear Army: RELEASE THE SECURITY FOOTAGE! peppertree Sep 2024 #11
The G.O.P. draft dodger owes America's soldier an apology BoRaGard Sep 2024 #2
This is good. MontanaMama Sep 2024 #3
He's walked away from this. The Army wants oil on the water and case closed ... marble falls Sep 2024 #5
I thought TFG did use it in an ad. Maybe it was just on social media. Ohioboy Sep 2024 #15
I'd bet Army officials are concerned Trump would seek filthy revenge Judi Lynn Sep 2024 #4
Army Cemetery expenses are not insignificant. COL Mustard Sep 2024 #18
This is how you normalize abhorrent and aberrant behavior. magicarpet Sep 2024 #6
The Amry Better Step UP. Unfortunately to me... Cha Sep 2024 #7
They're just practicing a time honored military practice called CYA. bluesbassman Sep 2024 #8
Realy! What you said about the Current Admin. TY Cha Sep 2024 #9
I think that they are more worried about markodochartaigh Sep 2024 #13
Copy that. bluesbassman Sep 2024 #19
Don't let this story die like Diarrhea Donny wants it to Blue Owl Sep 2024 #10
THIS malaise Sep 2024 #16
The graves of dead soldiers are not campaign props. Dishonorable Donnie is a low-life ghoul. Hermit-The-Prog Sep 2024 #12
Trump: shits on Army. Army: More, please! dchill Sep 2024 #14
POTUS to DEFSEC...'Release the fucking footage'. Short, sweet, and uniformed leadership is off the hook. Scalded Nun Sep 2024 #17
I wrote an email to votevets.org. usonian Sep 2024 #20
KNR Coexist Sep 2024 #21
 

brewens

(15,359 posts)
1. We know who the boss is. If the army doesn't want to release everything, Biden needs to make them want to.
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 01:10 PM
Sep 2024

If the army looking like it's interfering with the election is the concern, fuck that. No one forced Trump or his crew to cause the problem during an election. Not getting everything out would be the interference.

MontanaMama

(24,120 posts)
3. This is good.
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 01:14 PM
Sep 2024

I am furious that once again the Felon and his army of thugs isn't being held accountable.

marble falls

(62,674 posts)
5. He's walked away from this. The Army wants oil on the water and case closed ...
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 01:21 PM
Sep 2024

... the only thing that will revive it if TFG is stupid enough to use footage in a campaign ad. I hope he does.

Ohioboy

(3,538 posts)
15. I thought TFG did use it in an ad. Maybe it was just on social media.
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 03:52 PM
Sep 2024

Not only is it looking like he'll get away with it; he will also get away with claiming that the Democrats lied, and made it all up.

Judi Lynn

(162,673 posts)
4. I'd bet Army officials are concerned Trump would seek filthy revenge
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 01:20 PM
Sep 2024

upon them and Army interests as soon as he could manage if he found a way to force a win in the election.

They would undoubtedly be more honorable about this, and supportive of the law after the election if Trump loses spectacularly.

magicarpet

(17,235 posts)
6. This is how you normalize abhorrent and aberrant behavior.
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 01:21 PM
Sep 2024

So then it becomes socially acceptable down the road,.. as we slide down toward the destination of unrestrained Fascism.

Cha

(306,162 posts)
7. The Amry Better Step UP. Unfortunately to me...
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 01:31 PM
Sep 2024

that's Not "bizarre". It's business as usual even though they did make an Incident Report.

Do they think TSF is going to "win" and punish them?

TY

bluesbassman

(19,967 posts)
8. They're just practicing a time honored military practice called CYA.
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 01:37 PM
Sep 2024

The trouble is the should be covering their asses with the current Administration, not some possible one down the road.

markodochartaigh

(2,221 posts)
13. I think that they are more worried about
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 03:35 PM
Sep 2024

the extremely strong response of a potential Republican administration than the comparatively mild, and proportional, response of a Democratic administration.
I also think that that should have absolutely zero effect on their actions. They routinely ask soldiers to put their lives on the line. When it comes time for them to put their career on the line it shouldn't take them two seconds to step up and do their duty. If they can't do their duty they need to step down or be removed. At this point, with democracy on the line, having higher ups who are either compromised or weak is not something that the US can afford.

bluesbassman

(19,967 posts)
19. Copy that.
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 04:12 PM
Sep 2024

I get why the female staffer was reluctant to pursue charges, the odds are better than even that she was seriously threatened. But these seasoned officers. They need to step up. Period.

Blue Owl

(55,013 posts)
10. Don't let this story die like Diarrhea Donny wants it to
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 01:51 PM
Sep 2024

We must nail his fat ass to the wall and continue to call out his despicable behavior

Scalded Nun

(1,343 posts)
17. POTUS to DEFSEC...'Release the fucking footage'. Short, sweet, and uniformed leadership is off the hook.
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 04:03 PM
Sep 2024

I swear, we had so much better senior leadership when I was in the service. Political? For sure. - But most of them still had backbones.

usonian

(15,135 posts)
20. I wrote an email to votevets.org.
Tue Sep 10, 2024, 04:48 PM
Sep 2024

Not to let this matter, and whatever coverup is going on, become another episode in "Short Attention Span Theatre", and to join with other Veterans groups in keeping this hideous crime in the spotlight.

REGARDLESS of details or even legality, it is a vile insult to veterans and service people and desecration of fallen heroes, and deserves to be held in contempt in the court of public opinion for the outrage that it is, and which CANNOT and MUST NOT be "normalized" in any way.

Cowardice is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You'll only get more abuse if you let the first abuse slide.

info@votevets.org

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