Three House Democrats released a statement Tuesday calling on the Army to — again — admonish former President Donald Trump over his appearance at Arlington National Cemetery that they maintain was used for “campaign purposes.”

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, as well as Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Mark Takano, D-Calif., signed onto the statement accusing the Army of failing to “properly investigate this egregious incident in a timely manner.”

Although the Army released a statement rebuking Trump over his Arlington appearance three days after Trump’s appearance, it apparently didn’t go far enough for the three Democrats.

“The actions of former President Trump and his campaign staff were in flagrant violation of regulations, tradition, norms, and decorum and dishonored the memories of those interred at Arlington and the meaning of patriotic service to our country. We urge the U.S. Army to immediately provide information regarding how the event was coordinated,” the statement read.

The imbroglio began Aug. 26 when Trump was invited by some of the Gold Star families to Arlington to honor the 13 U.S. service members killed at Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan three years earlier. Trump has said he was asked to take pictures at the request of some of the families inside Section 60, part of the cemetery where photography is restricted.

Amid all of that was an alleged altercation between Trump staffers and an Army personnel member at the cemetery, which Trump’s team has denied.

“Furthermore, the alleged assault of an Arlington staff member by Trump campaign staff requires a strong official response,” the Democrats’ statement read. “As with any alleged assault, this incident should be investigated by the appropriate law enforcement authorities and should be subject to an independent charging decision.”

“While we are sympathetic to the challenges the Army faces in addressing and holding accountable a former president and his campaign staff, failure to properly investigate this egregious incident in a timely manner and hold violators accountable undermines the integrity and honor of Arlington National Cemetery and erodes the longstanding rules, tradition, and norms requiring nonpartisanship in the U.S. military,” the lawmakers’ letter concluded.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said Tuesday that Trump “was invited by the Gold Star families to honor their loved ones that gave the ultimate sacrifice. As the Army has said, they consider this matter closed,” according to Politico.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.