The head of Vietnam Veterans of America said Thursday that he was given “inaccurate information” before his organization joined a legal brief supporting President Donald Trump’s proposed arch, according to an exclusive report in The Washington Post.
Tom Burke told members the brief “went further than I anticipated or intended,” a day before a federal court hearing on whether construction can proceed.
“Let me be clear: National VVA has not adopted a position supporting or opposing construction of the proposed arch or its design,” Burke wrote in an email obtained by the Post.
The White House encouraged veterans organizations to sign the brief, according to three people familiar with the effort cited by the outlet. Burke did not identify who provided the inaccurate information or specify what it was.
The brief argued that three Vietnam War veterans suing to block the project did not represent the broader veterans community. It claimed most member feedback supported the arch and dismissed opponents as an isolated minority, the Post reported Thursday.
But Jay Kalner, president of the association’s Northern Virginia chapter, told the Post that he and many fellow members opposed the project. He said chapter and state leaders had not been consulted.
The pushback comes as U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is scheduled to hear arguments Friday over the proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery. The administration hopes to begin construction November 5.
“This puts the organization squarely in the middle of a complex, sensitive situation,” Burke wrote Thursday. “But our national commitment to neutrality remains firm.”