As President Trump visited Iraq for the first time in his presidency, CNN blasted him for signing MAGA hats for troops in a combat zone — dubiously citing military rules that restrict service members from taking part in partisan action in uniform for campaigns, saying troops should have “known better.”
“It is unusual, is it not, for the commander in chief to sign what is essentially campaign memorabilia with the troops during an official commander-in-chief trip to a war zone?” Jim Acosta, who has a bumpy relationship with the White House, said during CNN’s “The Situation Room” Wednesday.
Barbara Starr, the network’s Pentagon correspondent, said the troops are not supposed to be part of Trump’s “political agenda,” suggesting visiting the military was an overtly political act. However, she reported service members brought their own signature red hats to the president voluntarily for autographs.
“The problem is that Mr. Trump, whenever he is with the troops, basically embarks on a political agenda,” Starr said. “The question, of course, is the commanders, the enlisted, and the officer commanders who were there. How did they allow this to happen? The troops, the commanders probably should have known better.”
The Department of Defense has no clear regulations on getting memorabilia signed or taking pictures with a sitting president, the top of all service members’ chain of command. The guidelines also don’t prohibit troops from taking part in partisan activities so long as it is out of uniform; for example, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer was an active member of the U.S. Navy during his time in the administration.
The rules generally revolve around partisan activities, specifically interactions with a candidate or campaign, not a sitting member of the government such as the president. The spirit of the regulations would likely prohibit a service member from attending a Trump rally in uniform. However, troops are allowed to own and display political memorabilia.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders blasted the network over its coverage of the Trump Iraq trip.
CNN will attack anyone who supports President Trump, including the brave men and women of our military who fight everyday to protect our freedom https://t.co/x6VjuUJFdF
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 27, 2018
“CNN will attack anyone who supports President Trump, including the brave men and women of our military who fight everyday to protect our freedom,” she tweeted.
