Sen. John McCain slammed Donald Trump Monday, saying he "disparaged" Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Muslim parents of a fallen US soldier.
McCain released a lengthy personal statement, saying he "deeply disagreed" with Trump's comments criticizing the Khans after Khizr Khan's moving speech at the Democratic National Convention where he said Trump had "sacrificed nothing and no one."
Trump responded to Khan's speech, telling ABC News that he had "made a lot of sacrifices" by creating "thousands and thousands of jobs."
As for Ghazala Khan, who stood by her husband during his speech, Trump said, "If you look at his wife, she was standing there, she had nothing to say. Maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say, you tell me."
In his statement, McCain said, "In recent days Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier's parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statements. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates."
He added, "It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party. 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."
McCain also paid tribute to the Khans' son, Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004. "His name will live forever in American memory, as an example of true American greatness," McCain said.
He addressed the Khans in his statement, saying, "Thank you for immigrating to America. We're a better country because of you."
Here's McCain's full statement:
The Republican Party I know and love is the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan.
I wear a bracelet bearing the name of a fallen hero, Matthew Stanley, which his mother, Lynn, gave me in 2007, at a town hall meeting in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. His memory and the memory of our great leaders deserve better from me.
In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier’s parents. 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.
Make no mistake: I do not valorize our military out of some unfamiliar instinct. 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. In the American system, the military has value only inasmuch as it protects and defends the liberties of the people.
My father was a career naval officer, as was his father. For hundreds of years, every generation of McCains has served the United States in uniform.
My sons serve today, and I’m proud of them. My youngest served in the war that claimed Captain Khan’s life as well as in Afghanistan. I want them to be proud of me. I want to do the right thing by them and their comrades.
Humayun Khan did exactly that — and he did it for all the right reasons. This accomplished young man was not driven to service as a United States Army officer because he was compelled to by any material need. He was inspired as a young man by his reading of Thomas Jefferson — and he wanted to give back to the country that had taken him and his parents in as immigrants when he was only two years old.
Captain Khan's death in Iraq, on June 8th, 2004, was a shining example of the valor and bravery inculcated into our military. When a suicide bomber accelerated his vehicle toward a facility with hundreds of American soldiers, Captain Khan ordered his subordinates away from the danger.
Then he ran toward it.
The suicide bomber, striking prematurely, claimed the life of Captain Khan — and Captain Khan, through his selfless action and sacrifice, saved the lives of hundreds of his brothers and sisters.
Scripture tells us that "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Captain Humayun Khan of the United States Army showed in his final moments that he was filled and motivated by this love. His name will live forever in American memory, as an example of true American greatness.
In the end, I am morally bound to speak only to the things that command my allegiance, and to which I have dedicated my life’s work: the Republican Party, and more importantly, the United States of America. I will not refrain from doing my utmost by those lights simply because it may benefit others with whom I disagree.
I claim no moral superiority over Donald Trump. I have a long and well-known public and private record for which I will have to answer at the Final Judgment, and I repose my hope in the promise of mercy and the moderation of age. I challenge the nominee to set the example for what our country can and should represent.
Arizona is watching. It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party. 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.
Lastly, I’d like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: thank you for immigrating to America. We’re a better country because of you. And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation – and he will never be forgotten.
And the Veterans of Foreign Wars — commonly known as the VFW — also criticized Trump's response on Monday.
VFW calls Trump "out of bounds" in statement on Khan family.
Trump defended his comments Monday, saying Khan "viciously attacked" him from the DNC stage and was now "all over T. V. doing the same." He also said the story was not about Khan, but about "radical islamic terrorism."
"Every decent Republican has rebuked [Trump's] behavior," Khizr Khan told CNN Monday. "Yet nobody has stood up and said, 'Enough, stop it, you will not be our candidate.'"
"Every decent Republican has rebuked his behavior...yet nobody has stood up and said, 'Enough.'" -- Khizr Khan https://t.co/3YaXsR6rBd
Responding to Trump's comments that he felt "viciously attacked" by Khan's speech, Khizr Khan said, "That is his ignorance of the First Amendment. I have exactly the same rights as he does... He wants to have one set of rights for himself and another set of rights for others."
Khan said that he "cherished" the Constitution. "I wish somebody would read it to him."
Khan said that he was "heartened" by Gov. Mike Pence's statement in which he called his son "an American hero."
Ghazala Khan also responded to Trump's comments, saying, "My religion, my family, my culture, never stopped me from saying what I wanted to say...I'm so happy that I'm a Muslim woman and Muslim women have all the rights in the world."
Ghazala Khan: My religion, my family and my culture never stopped me from saying what I wanted to say. https://t.co/HGCcrVBKqD