The two Trump campaign staffers accused of being involved in a dispute with an Arlington National Cemetery official have been identified, according to a report from NPR.
The broadcaster broke the allegations last week, revealing how two Trump staffers—whom it did not identify—got into a physical and verbal altercation with an Arlington employee who told them they couldn’t take photos in the cemetery’s Section 60.
The staffers involved in the incident were identified by a source Thursday as Justin Caporale, a deputy campaign manager, and Michel Picard, a member of the Republican nominee’s advance team.
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Caporale previously worked as an aide to former first lady Melania Trump and was director of external affairs in charge of program and events for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Details about their roles in the Trump campaign were not immediately available. The Trump campaign has not confirmed the identities of the staff members involved. Neither staffer responded to requests for comment from NPR; instead, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung responded on their behalf.
Cheung told NPR that “as the Army has said, they consider this matter closed. President Trump was there to support the Gold Star families and honor the sacrifices their loved ones made.”
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
Trump was attending a wreath-laying ceremony to honor the families of some of the Marines killed in the Kabul airport bombing that took place as the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan three years ago.
Section 60 is the portion of Arlington where veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. The family of at least one veteran whose headstone appears in Trump’s photos said they did not give him permission to photograph it. Photography is restricted in the area.
Former President Donald Trump places a wreath to honor the servicemembers killed in the Abbey Gate bombing during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
NurPhoto/Getty Images“An ANC (Arlington National Cemetery) employee who attempted to ensure adherence to these rules was abruptly pushed aside,” the U.S. Army confirmed in a statement last week. “This incident was unfortunate, and it is also unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.”
The Trump campaign has continued to push back against the allegations of wrongdoing at the cemetery, insisting they were there at the invitation of the Gold Star families. In a post on Truth Social last week, Trump called the original report a “made up story by Comrade Kamala and her misinformation squad,” and accused the Democratic nominee of skipping the event.
Read it at NPR
