Gold Star families did not invite Biden or Harris to Arlington Cemetery last week, White House says
From CNN's Sam Fossum
Former President Donald Trump lays a wreath alongside Marine Cpl. Kelsee Lainhart (Ret.), who was injured at the Abbey Gate Bombing, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on August 26 in Arlington, Virginia.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were not invited by Gold Star Families to Arlington National Cemetery on the anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to a White House official.
CNN previously reported that former President Donald Trump was invited by some of the families in his personal capacity. The ceremony was organized for families and their guests, not designed for elected officials.
Remember: Trump has faced controversyover his visit to the cemetery last Monday, after a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the 13 US service members who were killed in the Kabul airport bombing in 2021. Trump was rebuked by the Army over his campaign’s use of video and images from the visit, which critics say ran afoul of rules prohibiting political activity on the sacred grounds.
The Army has said participants in the ceremony “were made aware of federal laws” regarding political activity and an employee of the cemetery who “attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside.”