The Witness Chronicles, September 2, 2024
Why the Arlington scandal is different
It Was a Disgusting and Disrespectful Stunt. It Was Also Illegal
Why isn’t the Trump Campaign being charged?
It’s confounding. The Trump campaign plans a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and invites some families of deceased American service members interred there. Sounds respectful, right? But it is a photo op, not a respectful ceremony. And the plan is simple. Create a video and have a voice-over implying it is an official event and asking why Harris, Biden, and Walz are not there, implying they have no respect for soldiers and the military.
And the entire thing was a felony, breaking laws the Trump people were fully aware of, a stunt solely designed to throw mud at his opponents and make him look like he respects the military.
We’ve seen a lot of lies and deception but this is far beyond simple attack politics. The US Army did something it rarely does. It issued an official rebuke to Trump and the campaign, signaling that they feel that this was a serious matter. And it was. This is hallowed ground where thousands of soldiers are buried after dying for our country.
As I write this we have 64 days until the election and this pattern of dispicable behavior by Trump and his thugs is already beyond disgusting. And they should be charged for the crimes they knowingly did for political purposes.
But they are betting that won’t happen because they think the DOJ won’t charge them for fear of appearing political. And they may be right. But they should be charged, in fact they must be charged, because being a politician and public figure does not grant you any immunity from the law when performing unofficial acts.
They commited a disgusting crime to promote a man running for President, a man who has repeatedly disparaged the military and those who have sacrificed everything for their country.
One of the really sad things about this is the way the families at the event have been used and brainwashed by Trump’s blatant lies into supporting this intolerable action. And the way many Americans buy into this crap despite the simple facts and reality.
It was a private event. No Democrats we’re invited. The Trump campaign knew what they were doing and ignored the law, physically shoving aside the Arlington employee doing her job and trying to keep them from filming. She decided not to press charges out of actual physical fear for herself and her family. She stated that she was not filing charges because of fear of retribution by the campaign itself.
Those are facts. They are backed up by witnesses, Trump’s own video (on TikTok) and the unusual statement by the US Army. Anyone who says or disputes this reality needs to reconsider where they get their information.
I know that in this hypercharged political campaign this is already old news to a voting public being hit with scandalous behavior by Trump, every minute of every day. But, for me, this goes beyond just bad actors doing bad things. This tells me that these people have no souls and are willing to do anything to give this election to a convicted criminal who clearly believes the law does not apply to him.
We have never had an election where the lines between good and evil were so clearly drawn. Yet a large number of Americans are choosing to ignore reality and support a lying criminal for President of the United States.
If we let the campaign and Trump get away with this, we are implicitly supporting these actions and opening the door further to empowering him to go to any lengths to get re-elected. And if he does, we will deserve whatever we get.
This is from a reader supported newsletter. Please consider helping out by upgrading to a paid subscription or donating a small amount through Buy Me A Coffee, a site for small financial contributions. Thanks, ME
Wake up, people. We are mistakenly playing by old rules in a new and dangerous game. We must adapt or we will get what we ignorantly deserve.
If the DOJ cannot charge him with this illegal and disgusting behaviour, who can? I appreciate your article and those of others. It seems to be the only way to expose his dirty deeds and hope that enough Americans will read the writing of a few sensible journalists and come to their senses and turn their backs on this creature. I wonder if this is even possible. The guy is a fearless, spineless, thoughtless bully and will bludgeon his way to the White House.