Trump Arlington cemetery incident still under investigation: Sources

(WASHINGTON) — Law enforcement officials at a Virginia military base are still actively investigating an August incident at Arlington National Cemetery involving what has been described as a confrontation between former President Donald Trump’s campaign and a cemetery worker, even as the Army says it considers the matter closed, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

As part of the probe led by the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Police Department, an investigator with the base’s police department has sought in recent days to contact Trump campaign officials about the incident, the sources said.

Investigators are seeking to interview the officials involved in the incident, according to the sources.

Stanley Woodward, a lawyer representing the Trump campaign officials, declined to comment when reached by ABC News.

Although the Army oversees Arlington National Cemetery, law enforcement is handled by Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, as a neighboring base. The base’s police department falls under the Army in an administrative capacity, but operates as a law enforcement agency and is staffed by federal law enforcement officers, not military police.

“The investigation is ongoing at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall by base authorities,” a defense official told ABC News in a statement that indicates the Army is not directing the probe.

Last month, the Trump campaign was accused of engaging in a physical and verbal altercation with a staffer at Arlington National Cemetery while the former president was there to mark the third anniversary of the deaths of 13 service members in Afghanistan. Trump’s aides filmed a campaign video in a section of the cemetery where recently fallen service members are buried.

Federal law prohibits campaigns from using the military cemetery for political campaigning or election-related activities.

Trump’s campaign insisted its aides acted appropriately and promised to release video they said would exonerate its staff. That video has not been released.

In the days following the incident, the Army defended the cemetery staffer, saying the person had been “unfairly attacked” — but also said that it considered the matter closed.

“The incident was reported to the JBM-HH police department, but the employee subsequently decided not to press charges. Therefore, the Army considers this matter closed,” an Army spokesperson said on Aug. 29, three days after the incident. “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the [Arlington National Cemetery] employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”

When asked for comment on Monday, an Army spokesperson referred ABC News to its Aug. 29 statement. Base authorities at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Separately, however, the Army on Monday acknowledged the case is still being investigated when it explained why it is blocking the release of documents related to the incident.

In a letter responding to a request filed by ABC News under the Freedom of Information Act, the Army said documents couldn’t be released yet because “those documents are part of an open investigation.”

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