Tag: Khizr Khan

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John McCain Denounces Donald Trump’s Attack On Khan Family

Over the weekend, Donald Trump found his comments about Khizr and Ghazala Khan being repudiated by several GOP lawmakers including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Now, former Republican presidential candidate and military veteran Sen. John McCain has issued what is the clearest condemnation of Trump’s attack on the Gold Star family.

The New York Times reports:

In a remarkable and lengthy rebuke of his party’s nominee, Senator John McCain sharply criticized Donald J. Trump’s comments about the family of a fallen Muslim Army captain, saying, “While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.”

Mr. McCain, a war hero whose service and capture in Vietnam was also once derided by Mr. Trump, had stayed largely silent over the weekend as Mr. Trump’s feud with the parents of Capt. Humayun Khan brewed, waiting until Monday morning to release a prepared statement.

“In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier’s parents,” he wrote of the parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan. “He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States — to say nothing of entering its service. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers or candidates.”

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Gold Star Families Pen Open Letter To Donald Trump Asking For Apology To Khan Family

Republican White House contender Donald Trump’s decision to criticize the parents of a fallen Muslim-American Army Captain is proving to be more than he bargained for.

After Khizr and Ghazala Khan appeared on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, with a stirring speech by Khizr addressing Donald Trump’s call to ban Muslims in the United States, the Trumpster went on the offensive claiming the mother’s silence onstage was perhaps because of their Muslim faith, that women aren’t allowed to speak.

Now, a group of 23 Gold Star families (the title used to refer to those families who have lost a loved one during military service to the U.S., have written an open letter asking Trump to apologize to the Khans and all Gold Star families for his insensitive treatment.

From The Hill:

The group of Gold Star families on Monday wrote a letter to the billionaire condemning his treatment of the family of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004.

“Ours is a sacrifice you will never know. Ours is a sacrifice we would never want you to know,” the group said in a letter published Monday on VoteVets.org.

“Your recent comments regarding the Khan family were repugnant, and personally offensive to us.”

“When you question a mother’s pain, by implying that her religion, not her grief, kept her from addressing an arena of people, you are attacking us,” the families said in the letter.

“When you say your job building buildings is akin to our sacrifice, you are attacking our sacrifice.”

In the letter, the families said Trump is “cheapening the sacrifice made by those we lost.”

“You are minimizing the risk our service members make for all of us,” the families added.

“This goes beyond politics. It is about a sense of decency. That kind of decency you mock as ‘political correctness.’ “

The families then urged the GOP nominee to apologize to all Gold Star families and to all Americans for his comments.

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Paul Ryan Weighs In On Donald Trump Insults To Family Of Fallen U.S. Soldier

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan (R) issued this statement regarding the current insults by Donald Trump on the family of fallen U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan

“America’s greatness is built on the principles of liberty and preserved by the men and woman who wear the uniform to defend it. As I have siad on numerous occasions, a religious test for entering our country is not reflective of these fundamental values. I reject it. Many Muslim Americans have served valiantly in our military, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Captain Khan was one such brave example. His sacrifice – and that of Khizr and Ghazala Khan – should be honored. Period.”

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Parents Of Fallen Muslim-American Soldier Respond To Donald Trump’s Insults

In the aftermath of the devastating appearance and speech by the parents of a fallen Muslim-American soldier at the Democratic National Convention, Donald Trump went on the attack saying the parents were being “used” by the DNC, that perhaps the father, Khizr Khan, didn’t actually write his speech (that’s rich considering the Melania Trump plagiarism debacle) and that Ghazala Khan wasn’t allowed to speak because Muslim families don’t allow women to speak, or some such nonsense.

Ghazala Khan had this to say about her appearance at the DNC and why she didn’t choose to speak:

Humayun is my middle son, and the others are doing so well, but every day I feel the pain of his loss. It has been 12 years, but you know hearts of pain can never heal as long as we live. Just talking about it is hard for me all the time. Every day, whenever I pray, I have to pray for him, and I cry. The place that emptied will always be empty.

I cannot walk into a room with pictures of Humayun. For all these years, I haven’t been able to clean the closet where his things are — I had to ask my daughter-in-law to do it. Walking onto the convention stage, with a huge picture of my son behind me, I could hardly control myself. What mother could? Donald Trump has children whom he loves. Does he really need to wonder why I did not speak?

Donald Trump said that maybe I wasn’t allowed to say anything. That is not true. My husband asked me if I wanted to speak, but I told him I could not. My religion teaches me that all human beings are equal in God’s eyes. Husband and wife are part of each other; you should love and respect each other so you can take care of the family.

The Khans spoke to Lawrence O’Donnell about the speech, Trump’s reactions and what they think this all means to the country.

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Trump To Father Of Fallen Muslim-American Soldier: “I’ve Made A Lot Of Sacrifices”

Responding for the first time to the father of a fallen Muslim-American soldier, Donald Trump told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he has “sacrificed” by creating “thousands and thousands of jobs” and having “tremendous success.”

On the last night of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Gold Star father Khizr Khan, his wife Ghazala by his side, recounted to the crowd how his son was killed in 2004 by a car bomb in Iraq.

Khan also chastised Trump for seeking to ban Muslims from entering the country, saying that his son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, would not have been able to serve under a Trump presidency.

“Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America,” Khan said, addressing Trump. “You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one.”

Trump appeared to try to brush the speech aside, saying that Khan “was, you know, very emotional and probably looked like a nice guy to me.”

Pressed by Stephanopoulos to name the sacrifices he’d made for his country, Trump said: “I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard. I’ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I’ve had tremendous success. I think I’ve done a lot.”

Just so I’m clear: Donald Trump sees his “tremendous success” as equitable to the service of fallen American soldiers?