Senator Ted Cruz has criticized Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing her of “ignoring” the 13 service members who died during the U.S. Military’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In Wednesday’s episode of his Verdict podcast, Cruz said the controversy surrounding Former President Donald Trump‘s attendance last week at Arlington National Cemetery for the soldiers’ memorial service was a “political stunt.”
“Look, this was just a cynical attempt from the Kamala Harris campaign to shift the attention to one of the most egregious and catastrophic foreign policy failures of Joe Biden‘s and her leadership,” he said.
Cruz continued by lambasting Harris for her alleged failure to show empathy towards the families of the fallen, accusing Harris of attempting to “change the subject” by criticizing Trump, who attended the ceremony.
Senator Ted Cruz Vice President Kamala Harris. Cruz has accused Harris of “ignoring” the 13 service members who died during the U.S. Military’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Anna Moneymaker, Win McNamee/Getty Images
“He [Trump] went and laid a wreath at their tombs to honor their death. And he did so at the invitation of the Gold Star families who wanted him there,” Cruz said.
Cruz alleged that Harris had declined an invitation to attend the memorial service. “Kamala Harris declined to come,” Cruz said. “She was just a few miles away, but she was not willing to come to Arlington Cemetery to acknowledge their deaths.”
Trump’s attendance at the memorial service was mired by controversy. His campaign staff said they were “physically blocked” from entering a section of the cemetery by a staff member, who they later described as a “despicable individual” who was “clearly suffering from a mental health episode.”
The U.S. Army publicly rebuked Trump’s staff’s account, stating that their staff member was doing her job in telling Trump’s staff they were not allowed to take photographs or video footage in Section 60—the burial site for service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Political campaigning is illegal at Arlington.
An Army spokesperson said it was “unfortunate that the ANC employee and her professionalism has been unfairly attacked.” The Army said the staff member declined to press charges because she feared retaliation from Trump’s supporters.
Despite being told not to take footage or photographs, Trump released a campaign video on TikTok using the footage. And, at the request of one of the families, he was photographed by one of the gravesites grinning and giving a thumbs up.
The incident drew heavy criticism from veterans groups, members of Trump’s own administration, and on Saturday, from Harris.
The picture was further complicated on Sunday when families of seven of the 13 fallen service members released a public letter in support of Trump.
They criticized Harris for “politicizing” Trump’s presence at the cemetery, claiming the former president was there at their invitation.
“President Trump was invited by us, the Gold Star Families, to attend the solemn ceremonies… Yet Vice President Harris has disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy,” they wrote.
The families expressed deep frustration with Harris’s alleged refusal to meet with them to discuss their loss, calling her actions a “deep betrayal.”
They further blamed the Biden-Harris administration for the deaths of their loved ones, stating, “Her administration’s catastrophic mishandling of the Afghanistan withdrawal directly led to the murder of thirteen service members, including our children.”
Neither Cruz nor the families of the seven service members addressed the controversy relating to Trump’s use of Arlington video footage in the TikTok campaign video, which the Army said was illegal, nor did they address the alleged altercation between Trump’s team and the cemetery staff member.
Newsweek has contacted Harris and Cruz via email for comment.
