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Vietnam veterans group president says he was misled before backing Trump’s DC arch plan: Report
The head of the Vietnam Veterans of America says he was given “inaccurate information” before the group joined a brief backing Trump’s arch.
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Tom Burke, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, said on Thursday that he was given wrong information before the group joined a legal brief supporting President Donald Trump’s planned arch. The 250-foot-tall arch is part of Trump’s plan to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Burke said the group has not taken a position on whether the arch should be built. His comments came after some veterans questioned the group’s decision to support the project.
What the group’s president said
Tom Burke, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America, told members that he was given “inaccurate information,” according to an email shared with The Washington Post. He said the brief “went further than I anticipated or intended.”
“Let me be clear: National VVA has not adopted a position supporting or opposing construction of the proposed arch or its design,” Burke wrote. He said the group stays neutral on the project.
“This puts the organization squarely in the middle of a complex, sensitive situation, but our national commitment to neutrality remains firm.”
What the brief said and the White House role
According to The Washington Post, the brief was filed on Wednesday. It asked a federal judge to allow Trump’s project to move forward. It also argued that the three Vietnam War veterans who sued to stop the arch do not represent other veterans and should not have the legal right to bring the case. Six veterans’ groups joined the brief, including the Korean War Veterans Association and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
The brief stated: “The vast majority of [the groups’] feedback on the arch from their veteran members has been supportive.” It added: “Those who oppose it are isolated, often speak only for a small minority, and sadly seek to politicize something that should be supported regardless of political party.”
Three people familiar with the plans told The Washington Post that the White House encouraged the groups to sign the brief. Two people said leaders of the Vietnam Veterans of America were concerned about angering Trump and damaging their relationship with his administration. The group says it has more than 90,000 members. Public lobbying documents show that it has been pressing the administration on veterans’ benefits, mental health support and other issues.
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Veterans push back
As per The Washington Post, the brief surprised some senior leaders at the veterans groups.
Jay Kalner, president of the group’s Northern Virginia chapter, said he and many other leaders and members oppose the arch. He said chapter and state leaders across the country were not asked before the national group signed the brief.
David Pickett was president of the Korean War Veterans Association until June and is still on its board. He said he opposed the group’s decision to back the arch because the topic had not been discussed by its leaders or members. “It’s never come up in conversation,” he said. He first said he did not see the “intrinsic value” of the arch, but later said in a text that he would support any effort to honor veterans.
Harold Trieber, the group’s current president, told the Washington Post he made the decision. “I represent the association, and I believe it should be built,” he said.
John Weeks, a Vietnam War veteran whose brother also served and was killed in the war, said he was frustrated that the group suggested veterans all agree. He lives in Northern Virginia, visits the military cemetery often, and opposes the arch. He worries it will disrupt the quiet feeling of visiting the site.
“It should be enough to just simply say that we Vietnam and other war vets want no diminishment of ‘our hallowed ground.’ A giant Arch will do just that,” Weeks wrote in an email. “It in no way enhances our ground and it serves no purpose for us veterans.”
Court hearing
District Judge Tanya S Chutkan will hear arguments on Friday on whether to let construction go ahead on the planned 250-foot-tall arch. Trump has called it a priority to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary. The administration hopes to start building as soon as November 5.
According to The Washington Post, the White House has asked Judge Chutkan to dismiss the case. In a court filing on Wednesday, the Justice Department did not mention that any of the people who filed the lawsuit were veterans. It compared their case to a lawsuit filed by a woman who argued that Trump's White House ballroom would affect her enjoyment of the building. In August, the Supreme Court ruled that she was unlikely to prove that she had been harmed. The administration hopes the ruling will help it win the case over the arch as well.
