JD Vance Leverages Trump’s Arlington Scandal to Target Harris

During a recent campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania, Senator JD Vance directed some sharp words toward Vice President Kamala Harris, telling her to “go to Hell.” Vance’s remarks were prompted by his criticism of President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021.

Vance was addressing the crowd when he expressed his discontent with Harris’s perceived lack of action regarding an investigation into the withdrawal. “Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel that she won’t even do an investigation into what happened and she wants to yell at Donald Trump because he showed up, she can go to Hell,” he declared.

The senator’s comments followed a question from a reporter about a recent incident at Arlington National Cemetery. This involved the Trump campaign, which visited the site to mark the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack—a tragic event that resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members and 170 Afghan civilians as the U.S. completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan.

An NPR report indicated that a staff member from the Trump campaign may have verbally abused and pushed a cemetery official attempting to stop them from filming and taking photographs in Section 60, where fallen troops are laid to rest.

In his defense of the campaign, Vance claimed, “There is verifiable evidence that the campaign was allowed to have a photographer there. There’s verifiable they were invited to have a photographer there.” He added that families of the service members who died at Abbey Gate invited Trump to support them during their visit.

Arlington National Cemetery has confirmed that an incident occurred and that a report about it was filed. A spokesperson from the U.S. Army stated that an employee at the cemetery was “abruptly pushed aside” while making sure that rules were being followed. Fortunately, this employee has chosen not to press charges.

The Army spokesperson remarked, “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”

In reaction to the incident, Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, denied that any physical altercation took place. He asserted that the campaign would provide video evidence to support this claim.

Vance later explained to NBC News that his comment about Harris was made in a moment of frustration. “Sometimes I get frustrated, and sometimes I get pissed off,” he conceded. “And I think Kamala Harris’ failure of leadership at Abbey Gate is something to get frustrated and angry about.”

In contrast, Vice President Harris’s campaign addressed the anniversary with a statement highlighting her commitment to service members and their families. “I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families and I will always honor their service and sacrifice,” Harris stated. “President Biden made the courageous and right decision to end America’s longest war,” she added, reaffirming her support for the president’s actions.