VP Kamala Harris is criticizing Donald Trump over a recent controversy involving his campaign at Arlington National Cemetery, saying the military burial site is “not a place for politics”.

Kamala Harris took aim at the former president on August 31 in a post on social media, writing that he “disrespected sacred ground, all for the sake of a political stunt”.

The US Army said a Trump staffer “abruptly pushed aside” a cemetery employee who was trying to warn his team about rules against filming in the cemetery.

The Trump campaign has disputed the cemetery’s version of events and said it received permission from the families of the fallen soldiers to film.

The incident happened on August 26, when Trump was at an event honouring 13 US military service members who were killed during the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago.

The VP’s post marks the first time Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, has commented on the controversy.

She wrote that she has visited Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia several times during her tenure as vice-president, and she would never use the site for political gain.

“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,” Kamala Harris said.

“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.”

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

At a campaign rally in Michigan on August 29, Donald Trump hit back at those who had criticized him over the incident.

He said he had been asked to pose for a photo at the site after the memorial by family members of the soldiers who had died.

“I go there, they ask me to have a picture and they say I was campaigning,” Donald Trump said.

“The one thing I get plenty of is publicity. I don’t need that. I don’t need the publicity.”

On September 1, the Trump campaign released a statement from the Gold Star military families that invited him to the event, saying the former president was there to honour the sacrifice of their relatives who were killed.

They also took aim at Kamala Harris in the statement, saying she has “disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy”.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance used the controversy to attack the Biden administration over its handling of the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying that Kamala Harris “can go to hell”.

“Three years ago, 13 brave, innocent Americans died, and they died because Kamala Harris refused to do her job,” JD Vance said in response to questions from CBS News.

Federal law prevents use of the cemetery for political campaigning and the US Army said participants were warned of the rules in advance.

The Trump campaign has denied that a physical altercation took place at the cemetery, adding “we are prepared to release footage if such defamatory claims are made”.