Robert Fellowes passed away one month ago. Fellowes was married to Lady Jane Spencer, one of Princess Diana’s older sisters. Prince Harry is very close to the Spencer side of his family, and there was a lot of talk in the British media about whether Harry would fly in for his uncle’s funeral. Two weeks ago, the Daily Beast reported exclusively that Harry would not go to the funeral, mostly because his security situation in the UK is still FUBAR. For what it’s worth, I believed the Daily Beast’s exclusive and I believed Harry would not make an attempt to go to uncle’s funeral. I was wrong. Harry flew into England, stealth-mode, this week and the British media is only finding out now.

Harry and William were together yesterday to say goodbye to their uncle — but were not seen talking to each other. The princes both “discreetly” attended the funeral for Lord Robert Fellowes, who was their mother Diana’s brother-in-law.

They were said to have sat apart at the back of the church in Snettisham, Norfolk.

Sources close to US-based Harry, 39, had previously claimed he would not attend. But a close family friend said they were “very happy to confirm both princes were there”.

Another source told how they saw them only at the end of the service in St Mary’s Church.

They said: “I didn’t know they were there. They arrived very discreetly.”

One local added: “William and Harry were both there but we never saw them speak to each other and they were keeping their distance.”

The brothers have barely ­spoken to each other since Megxit, when Harry and wife Meghan quit royal duties for a new life in the States. Harry and William, 42, went on a walkabout at Windsor after the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022 but have not been in the same room since the King’s Coronation more than a year ago.

[From The Sun]

It’s honestly just as big a surprise to me that William went to the funeral too. This seems like just the kind of Spencer family event which William would have skipped. I would also assume that Harry’s presence at the funeral was not a surprise to the Spencers, who likely helped facilitate his secret trip. Harry might have even stayed at Althorp (the Spencer estate) while he was there for all we know. Oh God… I bet he did just that and paid a visit to his mother’s gravesite ahead of the anniversary of her death. He hadn’t been to Diana’s grave since 2022, when he brought Meghan.

As for all of this… the family friend is William, correct? He must have been so surprised to see Harry there. It strikes me that there were several announcements this week about Harry – the Spare paperback and his upcoming trip to New York – which were probably timed out as a distraction to Harry’s secret trip. The Daily Mail was throwing tantrums about New York and the memoir, and they completely missed “stalking the Spencers at a family funeral.”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

Al Roker just turned 70 years old, and Oprah Winfrey turned 70 back in January. Oprah tends to have huge realizations around her biggest birthdays, and we have to go through it all with her. I still remember how mad she was when she turned 50 (she hated that birthday). Well, Al Roker is more easy-going but even had to pause for his 70th. He asked Oprah if she would do an interview for the Today Show on aging and the wisdom that comes with age. The interview was actually really good! She really opens up to people she’s known for years.

What she felt on her 70th birthday: “There is a sense of knowing that there isn’t as much time left and I am at peace with that knowing. There’s a sense of urgency for me about living well.”

Her 2021 knee surgery: “I had been becoming more and more debilitated to the point where it was hard to walk down even two steps just to get into the car. You know that pain. When I finally went to the knee doctor and I said, ‘I don’t know, is it time?’ He goes, ‘It’s time if you want to continue walking. You like walking? It’s time.’ I’d never been through surgery, was intimidated by it. The best thing I’ve ever done. I really felt like I’ve had a new opportunity to live inside my body in a way that I hadn’t been able to for years because being overweight, and being overweight causing the knees to be even worse.”

Whether her edges have softened over time: “I think I have just aged into a form of myself that is wiser, that is certainly stronger, that is more vibrant and aware and conscious than I’ve ever been. I don’t feel that my edges are softening.”

Her biggest regret: “I would not have taken on the responsibility of trying to build a network [OWN] while still ending the show. That is my one regret. I should have handled all of that differently, I think. I should have completed one thing, taken a year to do nothing, and then decided what was the next thing for me to do. I’d made a decision that it was time for the show to end, I don’t regret that. What I do regret is trying to do multiple things at the same time. I would have done the thing that I tell everybody else to do: ‘When you don’t know what to do, do nothing. Get still with yourself and do nothing.’ I would have given myself that time.”

She loves rainy days: “If it’s a rainy day, I’m in love with life. You know why? No expectations. Nobody expects you to go out on a rainy day. If it’s bright sun everybody’s like, ‘Come on, let’s do that that that.’ I love myself a rainy day. Rainy day, a fireplace, a blanket, and a dog at your foot and a great book? That’s it. That’s it for me.”

[From People Magazine]

In recent weeks, I feel like the universe is trying to tell me to get my bad knee looked at by a doctor instead of just ignoring it and saying “that’s my bad knee.” As for Oprah’s sense of peace and urgency with her 70th birthday… I hope she genuinely feels some sense of peace, but I doubt it. I think she’s still got a long list of sh-t she wants to do and it probably drives her a little bit crazy to think that she won’t have time to get to it. But maybe that’s a great way to live too, always yearning and striving and doing. And yeah, she probably should have held off on launching OWN for a few years. I remember the chaos of that launch too.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Taylor Swift had three concerts scheduled in Vienna in early August that had to be canceled last minute when Austrian authorities uncovered a planned terrorist attack. Taylor did not make any public statements at the time, which was the safe and soundest thing to do while law enforcement worked to apprehend the suspect. Taylor ended up not commenting on what happened until a few weeks later, after she’d completed the European leg of the Eras Tour with her second stop in London. Now the CIA is confirming just how serious the situation was. While speaking at a security summit this week, the deputy director characterized the terrorist plot as “serious” and “quite advanced,” and that it had the potential to kill tens of thousands of people. Thank goodness everyone took the right steps to ensure that it didn’t.

The planned terrorist plot at Taylor Swift’s shows in Vienna earlier this month was intended to kill “tens of thousands” of fans, according to the deputy director of the CIA.

“They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure many Americans,” CIA Deputy Director David S. Cohen said on Wednesday after revealing at the Intelligence and National Security Summit that the information Austrian authorities used to stop the terror plot was given to the CIA.

He also noted at the summit held in Maryland that those who planned the attack “were quite advanced in this.”

On Aug. 7, Austrian authorities arrested two people accused of plotting a terror attack, with additional arrests made in subsequent days. Some of the individuals arrested were found with bomb-making materials and had access to the concert venue, where several shows were scheduled to take place in the days following the arrests.

Austrian officials said the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was inspired by the Islamic State group. He allegedly planned to attack outside the stadium, where upwards of 30,000 fans were expected to gather, with another 65,000 likely to be inside the venue. Investigators discovered chemical substances and technical devices during a raid of the suspect’s home.

Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, previously stated that help from other intelligence agencies was necessary because Austrian investigators, unlike some foreign services, cannot legally monitor text messages.

The main suspect’s lawyer claimed the allegations were “overacting at its best,” arguing that Austrian authorities were “presenting this exaggeratedly” to push for new surveillance powers.

Swift had been planning to hold three concerts in Vienna beginning Aug. 8, with 200,000 people expected to attend. Last week, in a social media post, the singer broke her silence about the cancellations after concluding her London shows at Wembley Stadium.

“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”

“But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”

[From Hollywood Life]

Further on in Taylor’s Instagram post she made it very clear that her silence had been intentional. “My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.” That’s absolutely right. Canceling the shows, cooperating with law enforcement, and not commenting until the entire tour leg was over protected the lives of her fans and everyone who works on the tour. And it sounds like the CIA stepped in fairly quickly to assist the Austrian authorities. This is a whole other conversation, but I find that detail on Austrians not being allowed to monitor their citizens’ text messages rather fascinating.

Photos credit: Mike Gray / Avalon, Justin Ng / Avalon. Photos of fans are from Wembley Stadium in London in June

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Oh man, I don’t think this Joey Lawrence divorce story is going away anytime soon. For those of you just joining this messy gossip party, here’s a very quick recap: Late last week, we found out that Joey’s third wife, Samantha Cope, filed for divorce after two years of marriage. She also filed for full custody of their daughter, 19-month-old Dylan, and alleged that Joey cheated on her with a co-star of his upcoming Christmas movie, an actress named Melina Alves. Joey’s camp pushed back, throwing shade at Samantha and accusing her of ruining his relationship with his two teenage daughters and their mother, his second ex wife. According to Joey’s sources, their issues were more than just the alleged infidelity.

Well, now Melina’s PR has entered the building. After Joey’s sources ran to People, I thought for sure that Samantha would clap back, but it looks like Melina beat her to it. On Wednesday, Alves, who also served as a producer on Socked in for Christmas, released a statement through her Instagram account denying that she and Joey were affair-ing on set. According to Melina, there was “no sexual relationship” between the costars while they were filming, but rather a “meaningful friendship.” She also claims that she was already separated from her husband when she met Joey.

“It is with a deep sadness and heavy heart that I must address the recent allegations about the relationship between myself and Joey Lawrence, which have unfortunately become a public matter,” Alves, 40, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, August 28. “As a private person, it is deeply distressing to see such personal and sensitive issues being discussed so openly and inaccurately.”

Alves fervently denied having a “sexual relationship” with Lawrence, 48, as her estranged husband, Edward Rider, claimed in his August divorce filing.

“Our relationship was a meaningful friendship that developed naturally due to the many similarities in our personal situations,” she stressed. “When I met Joey, I was immediately struck by his kindness, warmth and genuine character. We found common ground in our shared experiences, which led to a strong supportive friendship that has been a source of strength for both of us.”

Alves alleged that she and Rider had been separated since January 2023 and were “living in separate rooms.”

“Our marriage had been struggling for some time, and the separation was a necessary step for both of us,” Alves wrote. “I have always valued my privacy, and it is incredibly painful to have such personal matters thrust into the public eye in a way that has caused harm not only to me but also to Joey, who has been unjustly dragged into this situation.”

She continued, “I ask for understanding and respect for our privacy as we navigate these difficult circumstances. This is a deeply private matter that I never intended to become public, and I hope this clarification can help put an end to the speculation and allow both Joey and myself to move forward without further intrusion.”

[From US Weekly]

Whew, with so many sides trying to get their narrative out, this story is starting to feel like the dollar store version of what’s going on with Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, and Kick Kennedy. I get Melina wanting to set the record straight about being accused of a relationship that never happened, but that’s not what her statement is doing. All she’s saying is that they had an emotional affair during the production, but they didn’t boink until after filming was finished. And yeah, maybe she was separated at the time, but Joey wasn’t! Samantha listed their date of separation as June 7 of this year.

After Melina released her statement, Joey released one of his own, piggybacking off of what she said about them not having a “physical relationship” while filming the movie and doubling-down on the earlier claims that his third marriage was “deeply troubled” from the beginning and “beyond saving.” He also reiterated that Sam herself (and not the fact that him getting with her probably contributed to his second divorce) was a major factor in the deterioration in his relationship with his ex and older daughters. Samantha, for her part, just couldn’t let Joey and Melina have the last word. (Called it!!) In a statement, she said that she found their “false accusations deeply troubling” and that she was “confident” that both God and Joey knew the truth. Your move, Joey…

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A post shared by Melina Alves (@iammelinaalves)

Photos via Instagram

Sometimes, I feel like I’m the only person who remembers Leah Remini’s VH1 documentaries. I realize that I’m dating myself terribly, but they were so good! She did one about her wedding to Angelo Pagan and a second documentary when she was pregnant with their daughter. Angelo came across as a seriously good guy, loving and supportive, in both of the documentaries. Those documentaries are a huge part of why I’ve always supported Leah and her marriage to Angelo. Well, it’s all over. The marriage, that is. After 21 years, Leah and Angelo are divorcing.

Leah Remini and husband Angelo Pagán are going their separate ways after more than two decades of marriage. The King of Queens alum, 54, and the entrepreneur announced their decision to end their marriage after 21 years in a joint Instagram post on Thursday, Aug. 29.

“Well, here we are. After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce,” the announcement began. “This decision came after a lot of thought and care, and as hard as divorce is, we are approaching this with a positive outlook because we know it’s what’s best for us. We are proud of how we have worked through this together.” While they figure out their “new normal,” they said they will still continue “celebrating holidays together, watching our favorite tv shows together, and gathering as a family.”

“So, the big question—why? To put it simply, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn’t fit us anymore. After a lot of effort and consideration, we’ve decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today,” they wrote.

“Our bond is still strong—it’s just evolved into something different. We think a marriage that lasted this long and created so many beautiful memories, especially raising our incredible daughter, is something to celebrate. From our perspective, this marriage was a huge success. And now, we’re looking forward to creating even more cherished moments—just in a different way.”

Remini and Pagán said they wanted to be “as transparent as we can be” since they shared their marriage “so publicly” on TV over the years.

“We are sharing this unknown territory with you all as we take our first steps into this next stage of our lives publicly,” the statement continued. “We would love for everyone to have more access to different kinds of relationship stories and not feel so isolated in navigating the changes that millions of couples make every year. We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships—whether they change or end—aren’t failures. We’ll keep sharing snippets of our lives as we navigate this new chapter.”

[From People]

After nearly three decades together, they couldn’t make it last for the final stretch? That’s so sad to me. It also feels notable that their daughter is 20 years old and presumably out of the house. This is an empty-nest divorce too, in my opinion. I also think there’s probably been significant stress on the marriage because Leah so publicly split with Scientology and CoS has come after her in many ways in recent years. Anyway, this makes me so sad. It’s also kind of crazy that Leah and her BFF Jennifer Lopez are both getting divorced at the same time.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

Sigourney Weaver wore Chanel to the first night of the Venice Film Festival. She was honored with the festival’s lifetime achievement award too. [RCFA]
Horoscopes for Virgo Season!! [OMG Blog]
This cat looks like they just watched JD Vance violate a couch. [Seriously OMG]
Scotty McCreery kicked a fan out of his concert. [Socialite Life]
Demi Moore is already doing a lowkey Oscar campaign. [LaineyGossip]
Lots of abortion amendments on the ballot this year. [Jezebel]
Chappell Roan has the right to say no to fans. [Pajiba]
It’s scary-story season!! [Buzzfeed]
Justin Bieber’s friend reveals baby Jack’s birthdate. [JustJared]
Chris Martin & Dakota Johnson did break up, then got back together. [Hollywood Life]

Last week, Brittany Mahomes “liked” a disgusting pro-Donald Trump and pro-MAGA agenda Instagram post. When Taylor Swift’s fans discovered Brittany’s “like,” they began questioning why Taylor would be friends with someone who supported such a rancid bigot and adjudicated rapist. It became a thing and Brittany’s name was trending on Twitter for much of the weekend as people discussed her politics and her MAGA/white-nationalist vibes and Brittany’s asinine “clapback at the haters.” That same weekend, Brittany was in Rhode Island. Brittany and her husband Patrick joined Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Travis Kelce and Bradley Cooper at Taylor Swift’s beach house for a late-summer party/gathering. You would think that Brittany might come out of somewhat politically chastened, or at least more reticent to play social media games about how MAGA she is. You would be wrong.

Brittany Mahomes going full on Trumper is not something I thought I’d see but here we are lol pic.twitter.com/5Nju5KeqBm

— Steven Guajardo (@StevenGuajardo) August 28, 2024

In case you can’t follow this, Brittany liked a comment reading “TRUMP-VANCE 2024.” This is who she is. It wasn’t some mistake, her finger did not slip, she’s not “accidentally” liking random MAGA posts and comments. Brittany Mahomes is a white nationalist, rapist-condoning, racist-accepting dumbass. She’s also married to a Black man and she has mixed-race children. She clearly doesn’t care what would happen to people of color under another Trump reign.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

Prince Harry’s office announced on Tuesday that Harry will travel solo to New York in September for UN Climate Week. He has a busy agenda with multiple patronages, charities and foundations. It’s not going to be like his brother’s trip to New York last year, which was Prince William’s attempt to copykeen Harry’s previous trips to the city. William’s “reason” for being in New York last year was that he made Michael Bloomberg throw together an Earthshot event in which they sat in a hotel conference room for a photo-op. Then William tried to barge his way into the United Nations (he only got a cattle-call photo-op). Many wondered if William would pull the same thing this year, and whether the brothers would be in New York at the same time. There is mixed reporting. First, the Daily Mail leaves it dangling:

Prince Harry is set to embark on a packed solo trip to New York City next month – at the same time that his brother, Prince William, will likely host a summit in Manhattan. The Duke of Sussex, 39, will ‘be in town to advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives,’ a spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com.

The trip is set to take place during UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week, the latter of which runs from September 22 until September 29.

His older brother Prince William, 42, may also be in the city at that time for the third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, which will be held at The Plaza Hotel on September 24. It’s unknown if the Prince of Wales will attend for sure, but he was present last year at the same event.

[From The Daily Mail]

I actually wondered if William and his office would keep the speculation going and keep everyone in limbo about whether he would show up. I mean, wouldn’t a global statesman show up to his own Keenshot environmental event? Wouldn’t a global statesman try to barge his way into the UN for the second year in a row? Wouldn’t the heir want to remind the spare who the big dog is? Unfortunately, William is no big dog, nor is he a global statesman. After the Mail left it in limbo, it looks like William’s office quietly confirmed to a few people that the global statesman will skip New York this year.

Sadly, for those hoping for a New York-based episode of the world’s longest-running soap opera, an official source has now confirmed to The Daily Beast that William, who has avoided all foreign travel (except a brief football-watching jaunt to Germany over the summer) since his wife was diagnosed with cancer, will not be attending the Earthshot Summit. Harry’s team declined to comment beyond the statement issued Tuesday.

[From The Daily Beast]

“Except a brief football-watching jaunt to Germany over the summer.” William went to Germany several times and made an ass out of himself every time. He also went to France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day commemorations. If William wanted to go to New York for his busywork, he would have. He’s either bored with Earthshot already or he’s simply too lazy.

A few more things – Harry will be doing an in-person event with the Diana Award in New York. The Diana Award is one of the only things left in which William and Harry are both still involved. Harry has had to skip some in-person Diana Award events in the UK (he made remote appearances) so I wonder what they have planned for New York. And I wonder if a certain Other Brother will be jelly.

Last thing – the Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English claims that she was told back in July that William wouldn’t go to New York this year. I’m sure this is not a convenient lie to cover up the fact that William is terrified of being in the same American city as Harry. “Prince William went last year, but not the year before” – he was actually scheduled to go to New York in 2022 but then QEII died and it would have looked crass for him to fly to New York so soon after her death.

For what it is worth, Prince William went last year, but not the year before. It really depends on his diary and commitments year to year.

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) August 28, 2024

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

This Trump campaign fiasco at Arlington National Cemetery has turned into a huge catastrophe. To recap, two Gold Star families invited Donald Trump to a wreath-laying at Arlington. Trump rolled up to Arlington with his campaign staff, a videographer and photographers. Arlington’s staffers told him, in no uncertain terms, that he could not bring his own photographers into this sacred place, much less use the footage and photos for campaign purposes. Trump staffers assaulted one Arlington employee, a woman, over it. The families whose loved ones are buried in Arlington have now been caught up in Trump’s insane fiasco and they are pissed:

The family of a Green Beret who died by suicide after serving eight combat tours and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery expressed concern on Wednesday that Donald J. Trump’s campaign had filmed his gravesite without permission as Mr. Trump stood in an area where campaign photography isn’t allowed.

Relatives of Master Sgt. Andrew Marckesano issued their statement two days after Mr. Trump’s visit, which also included a confrontation between members of the Trump campaign and an Arlington employee. The former president’s campaign took video in a heavily restricted section of the cemetery known as Section 60, which is largely reserved for the fallen veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

A woman who works at the cemetery filed an incident report with the military authorities over the altercation. But the official, who has not been identified, later declined to press charges. Military officials said she feared Mr. Trump’s supporters pursuing retaliation.

Sergeant Marckesano died on July 7, 2020, after moving to Washington to begin a job at the Pentagon. He had three children, and friends said he had chronic post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in combat. He earned Silver and Bronze Stars during his service. His gravesite is adjacent to that of Staff Sergeant Darin Taylor Hoover, a Marine who was killed in the 2021 bombing at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.

The Hoover family granted permission to the Trump team to film and take photographs at the gravesite; the Marckesano family did not, and filming and photographing at the gravesite for political purposes is a violation of federal law, according to cemetery officials. Yet Sergeant Marckesano’s grave was shown in photos from the visit that were published online. A video was posted to Mr. Trump’s TikTok account featuring footage from the Section 60 visit and the gravestones from behind, with narration criticizing the handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

In a statement from Sergeant Marckesano’s relatives after being contacted by The New York Times, his sister, Michele, said, “We fully support Staff Sergeant Darin Hoover’s family and the other families in their quest for answers and accountability regarding the Afghanistan withdrawal and the tragedy at Abbey Gate. However, according to our conversation with Arlington National Cemetery, the Trump campaign staffers did not adhere to the rules that were set in place for this visit to Staff Sergeant Hoover’s gravesite in Section 60, which lays directly next to my brother’s grave. We hope that those visiting this sacred site understand that these were real people who sacrificed for our freedom and that they are honored and respected accordingly.”

[From The NY Times]

Yes, there was a TikTok. I’m including it below. The families who invited Trump are currently insisting that they gave their permission for Trump to photograph and record the visit. But that’s not their permission to give – there are Arlington regulations and federal laws about this. A campaign can’t barge its way into Arlington and start filming a campaign ad. That’s grotesque.

ANC is not releasing any further info about the incident at this time. ANC media policy: “ANC will not authorize any filming for partisan, political or fundraising purposes, in accordance with the Hatch Act, 32 CFR 553, and AR 360-1.” This was posted to Trump’s TikTok yesterday. pic.twitter.com/Gun7y03JHT

— Jim LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) August 28, 2024

Arlington National Cemetery confirmed an incident took place between Trump campaign members and cemetery staff when former President Trump visited to commemorate the three-year anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack in Afghanistan.
@GarrettHaake reports on what happened. pic.twitter.com/LIISb89wd1

— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) August 28, 2024

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid, social media.

JD Vance has chimed in about Donald Trump’s grotesque violation at Arlington National Cemetery this week. Two Gold Star families invited Trump to what was supposed to be a private wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington. That is their right – Gold Star families can invite whoever they want to private events at Arlington. The problem was that Trump brought campaign staffers, including a photographer and videographer, and they turned the wreath-laying into a campaign event. The Trump campaign even made and posted a TikTok using footage from Arlington (which is against federal law). Trump staffers also assaulted a woman who works at Arlington because she tried to stop them from filming there. Other Gold Star families are incredibly offended by all of this and it’s an awful story for the Trump-Vance campaign. Instead of apologizing, they sent JD Vance out to tell Kamala Harris to “go to hell.”

Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance said at a campaign event on Wednesday that he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris “can go to hell,” adding to the increasingly personal attacks former president Donald Trump’s campaign has lodged against the Democratic presidential nominee in recent days.

A reporter at the campaign event asked Vance about an altercation involving Trump campaign staff that took place at Arlington National Cemetery, which the former president visited Monday to mark the third anniversary of the Islamic State bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members during the evacuation from Afghanistan. Federal law prohibits election-related activities at military cemeteries and as The Washington Post previously reported, a cemetery employee tried to enforce the rules as provided to her by blocking Trump’s team from bringing cameras to the graves of U.S. service members killed in recent years, according to a senior defense official and another person briefed on the incident. A larger male campaign aide insisted the camera was allowed and pushed past the cemetery employee.

Vance said at his campaign stop in Erie, Pa., on Wednesday that the press was “creating a story where I really don’t think that there is one.” He said the family members of fallen service members in attendance “invited [Trump] to be there and to support them.” But the Ohio senator, a military veteran, then used the question to tie the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal to the Democratic presidential candidate.

“Kamala Harris is disgraceful. We’re going to talk about a story out of those 13 brave, innocent Americans who lost their lives? It’s that Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel that she won’t even do an investigation into what happened,” he asserted, though there have been extensive federal investigations into the Abbey Gate bombing.

Vance accused Harris of criticizing Trump’s visit to the cemetery, saying: “And she wants to yell at Donald Trump because he showed up? She can — she can go to hell.”

Harris, who began a two-day bus tour in Georgia on Wednesday, did not bring up the issue on the campaign trail. In an interview with CNN that aired earlier Wednesday — before Vance’s campaign events — Harris campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said the cemetery incident was “pretty sad” but “not surprising coming from the Trump team.”

[From WaPo]

Again, no one has said that Trump couldn’t or shouldn’t go to Arlington when specifically invited by families. The problem is not that Trump went to Arlington. The problem is that he turned it into a campaign event. The problem is that his team assaulted an Arlington employee (a servicewoman) when she tried to stop them from violating federal law. The problem is that Trump showed a massive amount of disrespect for the other fallen soldiers who are buried in Arlington. The problem is that the Trump campaign turned this horrible incident into a TikTok. Vance knows all of this and he’s desperately trying to make it all about Kamala Harris.

Vance: “You’re acting like Donald Trump filmed a TV commercial at a gravesite. He was there providing emotional support to brave Americans who lost loved ones and there happened to be a camera there.”

HE FILMED A TV COMMERCIAL AT A GRAVESITE.

pic.twitter.com/fgaKsEvO8F

— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) August 29, 2024

Vance on Harris: “She can go to hell.”

You can see his pause as he reads the words on the prompter. He knows it’s disgraceful and isn’t sure who put those words there—but then he says it anyway.

We deserve better leaders than this.

pic.twitter.com/Pl7qu9pdcq

— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) August 29, 2024

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Backgrid.