McCain lashes out at Trump in ongoing dispute with Muslim Gold Star parents

The senator said that he hopes "Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: AUGUST 1, 2016 17:57
John McCain (photo credit: REUTERS)
John McCain
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Republican Senator John McCain lashed out at the party's presidential candidate Donald Trump on Sunday in an attempt to distance himself from a number of Trump's harsh views about Muslims serving in the army and a dispute between parents of a Muslim army officer.
A growing dispute has been brewing between Donald Trump and the parents of a Muslim US Army officer killed in the Iraq war. The officer's father, Khizr Khan, said last Monday that Trump lacked the empathy to be a leader and chided him for throwing the first salvo in their exchange.
Trump responded simultaneously on Twitter to Khizr and Ghazala Khan's morning television appearances, saying he was being "viciously" attacked.
McCain expressed his support of the Khan family and their son's sacrifice to the country.
"I’d like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: thank you for immigrating to America,” he said. “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."
Referring to Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the US,  McCain countered that he “cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement."
"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," he said. "I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates."