John McCain Slams Donald Trump’s Comments on Slain US Muslim Soldier’s Mother

The president’s blistering comments came on the heels of Trump’s criticism of an American Muslim family whose son, a captain in the U.S. Army, was killed in Iraq.

Trump’s criticism of Khizr Khan and Ghazala Khan, who took the stage at last week’s Democratic convention, sparked growing concern and dismay from Republican lawmakers responding to the latest Trump outburst to blindside his party colleagues.

McCain responded with a lengthy denunciation in which he said Trump does not have “unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us”.

At last week’s Democratic National Convention, Khizr Khan, he father of Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq, condemned Trump’s comments about Muslims.

Khan said that he was “not surprised” by Trump’s negative reaction to his speech, in which he criticized Trump for calling to ban Muslim immigrants, questioned whether he had ever read the U.S. Constitution, and said, “You have sacrificed nothing and no one”.

Ayotte declared she was “appalled” by Trump’s spat with the Khans.

First, Ghazala Khan explained that, actually, she did have something to say. I grew up in a military family, and have my own record of service, and have stayed closely engaged with our armed forces throughout my public career.

“There is never enough honor we can show to the families of those whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country”, said Thornberry, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee.

When I asked Sebastian for comment on Trump’s comments attacking the Khans, he said: “Senator Ward would disagree with that”.

Interviewed by The Washington Post, Trump said he could endorse neither House Speaker Paul Ryan nor Senator John McCain, both of whom face Republican challengers in primary votes in their states ahead of the November 8 general election. “He can get up and malign the entire nation”, said Khizr Khan.

Khan continued, “And yet a private citizen in this political process, in his candidacy for the stewardship of this country, I can not say what I feel?”

President Barack Obama weighed in on Tuesday, declaring that Trump is unfit to be president and questioning why GOP leaders including Ryan, McConnell and McCain continue to support him. “He’s a war hero, ’cause he was captured”, Trump said of McCain.

The list also says Trump had not directly compared his sacrifices to the Khans.

His feud with the Khan family, however, has heightened concerns among Republicans – not just because of the optics of tangling with a military family, but because Trump is picking the fight just three months from Election Day.

Obama said Donald Trump does not have the judgment or temperament or understanding to be president and added that “there’s something phony” about this week’s CNN poll.

Trump sent a tweet directed at Khan during the live interview.

“I think the Democrats laid a trap for him”, said Tom McClanahan, a 54-year-old from Johnston, Ohio.