AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson

Vice President Kamala Harris posted a lengthy statement on social media Saturday in which she accused former President Donald Trump of using dead soldiers as political props and also questioned his respect for veterans.

Trump grabbed negative attention this week after he and members of his campaign visited Arlington National Cemetary on Monday to commemorate the third anniversary of the 13 American service members killed in a suicide bombing in Kabul during the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

The Trump campaign was accused this week of using the former president’s trip to Arlington as a photo op. A cemetery employee also claimed members of Trump’s staff were pushy and disrespectful. It is illegal to film, cemetery officials later clarified.

The Army in a rare statement commented on the issue, writing, Participants in the August 26th ceremony and the subsequent Section 60 visit were made aware of federal laws, Army regulations and DoD policies, which clearly prohibit political activities on cemetery grounds.”

Harris, the Democratic nominee and Trump’s opponent in September, posted a statement on X/Twitter blasting Trump and to accusing him of having no respect veterans or military service.

The full statement:

As Vice President, I have had the privilege of visiting Arlington National Cemetery several times. It is a solemn place; a place where we come together to honor American heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of this nation.

It is not a place for politics.

And yet, as was reported this week, Donald Trump’s team chose to film a video there, resulting in an altercation with cemetery staff. Let me be clear: the former president disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt.

This is nothing new from Donald Trump. This is a man who has called our fallen service members “suckers” and “losers” and disparaged Medal of Honor recipients.

A man who, during a previous visit to the cemetery, reportedly said of fallen service members, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”

This is a man who is unable to comprehend anything other than service to himself.

If there is one thing on which we as Americans can all agree, it is that our veterans, military families, and service members should be honored, never disparaged, and treated with nothing less than our highest respect and gratitude.

And it is my belief that someone who cannot meet this simple, sacred duty should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America.

I will always honor the service and sacrifice of all of America’s fallen heroes, who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our beloved nation and our cherished freedoms. I mourn them and salute them. And I will never politicize them.

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