Khizr Khan on Wednesday called on Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to retract his support for Donald Trump after the Republican relentlessly attacked Khan and his wife after their appearance at the Democratic convention.
“I implore Sen. McCain … I continue to implore all of the good Republicans who either support or are going to vote for their party’s candidate, this will be a historic moment in the Republican Party,” Khan told Cronkite News.
“If you publicly rebuked him, you will look back and you will stand tall in front of the nation and you will say you were not for this, we were for [a] better America,” Khan added.
Khan, the father of a Muslim American soldier who died in combat, also revealed to Cronkite News that McCain was “my and my family’s hero.”
He said that the last book he sent to his son before he was killed in Iraq was the senator’s book, “Why Courage Matters.” He said he and his son discussed the book and McCain’s “sacrifice and [the] sacrifice of others to strengthen and care for others.”
Following Trump’s attacks on the Khan family, McCain issued a strong statement condemning the Republican nominee’s remarks.
“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,” McCain said in the statement. “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.”
However, McCain has still said that he will support the Republican nominee. When asked to respond to Khan’s latest comments, the McCain campaign referred TPM to the senator’s initial statement from last week.
