Trump Campaign Redacted: Arlington Cemetery Incident Report Suggests Investigation Continues

Heavily redacted recordings obtained by the nonpartisan watchdog organization American Oversight suggest an altercation between an Arlington National Cemetery employee and members Donald TrumpAugust campaign remains under active investigation.

ABC News was the first to obtain a copy of the records obtained by the US watchdog on Friday. But what Army The topsy-turvy document reveals almost nothing substantive about the standoff that took place at the nation’s largest military cemetery.

The lengthy affidavit is completely redacted except for this summary of the events that unfolded:

“While working at Arlington National Cemetery, (REDACTED) using both (REDACTED) hands while attempting to pass by (REDACTED) did not require medical assistance at the scene and later refused when offered. (REDACTED) testified under oath to the District Attorney. Form 2023 and stated (REDACTED) did not want to press charges,” the affidavit states.

Perhaps the most notable discovery is the Army’s rationale for redacting the incident report: In a letter to American Surveillance accompanying the redacted incident report, the Army wrote that much of the document should be redacted, in part because the information may be relevant to the ongoing investigation.

The army declined to say on Friday about the progress of the investigation.

“We are pleased that American Oversight was able to get the report into the hands of the American public so they can see for themselves that federal law enforcement is still investigating the incident at Arlington National Cemetery in August,” Chioma said. Chukwu, interim chief executive of American Oversight.

“The alleged conduct of the former President and his administration is consistent with his history of politicizing the military and violating clear ethical boundaries, and it is time for the public to face the full facts,” Chukwu continued. “American oversight will closely monitor newsrooms and continue to fight to get the message out to the people.”

The letter also suggests that certain changes were made to protect the privacy of cemetery employees.

The August incident engulfed the legendary cemetery in a political storm. Reports of the altercation first emerged in late August after Donald Trump visited the sacred burial site to attend a wreath-laying ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the deaths of 13 US troops in Afghanistan.

Members of the Trump campaign filmed video in a part of the cemetery known as Section 60, where recently fallen service members are buried, despite a federal law prohibiting political campaigns from using the grounds for election-related activities.

When a cemetery employee confronted members of the Trump campaign, a verbal and physical altercation ensued, ABC News reported at the time.

The Army released a statement saying the cemetery employee was “abruptly suspended” and her professionalism “unfairly attacked” while working to enforce the rules.

The Trump campaign countered that its staff had done nothing wrong and threatened to release exculpatory footage of the altercation, but never did.

American Oversight sued the Army over its report of the late August incident, arguing that “these recordings belong to the public,” according to Chukwu.

On Monday, U.S. Judge Paul Friedman ordered the Army to turn over all relevant and non-releasable parts of the document to the monitoring panel by Friday.