Reacting to a report that aides belonging to Donald Trump got into what is being called an "altercation" with one or more representatives at Arlington National Cemetery earlier this week, the panel on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" jumped all over the ex-president's campaign for trampling on sacred ground.
Late Tuesday is was reported that an official at Arlington attempted to stop the former president and his staff from turning a visit to the cemetery into a presidential campaign photo-op which led to verbal abuse and some shoving.
As NPR's Quil Lawrence reported, "A source with knowledge of the incident said the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump staffers from filming and photographing in a section where recent U.S. casualties are buried. The source said Arlington officials had made clear that only cemetery staff members would be authorized to take photographs or film in the area, known as Section 60," adding, "When the cemetery official tried to prevent Trump campaign staff from entering Section 60, campaign staff verbally abused and pushed the official aside, according to the source."
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On Wednesday morning that report led MSNBC's Jonathan Lemire to comment, "I know a lot of military veterans who were very uncomfortable Trump was there at all, he even at one point posed for photographs with a big smile and thumbs up."
"We should note, some of the family members were doing the same but that's their right," he added. "Donald Trump seemingly very strange that he would do the same. Some of these veterans were sort of just aghast that, in any way, shape or form Arlington National Cemetery, one of the most sacred places in our country, was being used as a backdrop for political purposes."
"Jonathan, I looked at the same pictures that you're alluding to now and describing at Arlington, taken of the former president and the thought rolled immediately through my mind is: is nothing sacred?" MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle stated. "That is sacred ground and the idea that any candidate of any party, would use, intentionally or unintentionally, use that sacred ground as a prop for a political campaign is beyond condemnation."
"It's terribly upsetting, obviously, to people who have buried loved ones in Arlington National Cemetery," he elaborated. "It's terribly upsetting to many veterans. It's terribly upsetting to people who view it as a spectacle — and it ought to be terribly upsetting for any American who value what the military does for this country has done worldwide for this country and will continue to do for this country for centuries and will continue to do for the country."
"Of course, this comes just days after Trump suggested that the Civilian Medal of Freedom is better than the Congressional Medal of Honor brcause the army soldiers receiving the Medal of Honor are often either killed or wounded and, of course, we've been reminded of late how Trump used to refer to veterans who are deceased as 'suckers and losers'."
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