The
mother at the center of Donald Trump’s attack on the family of a slain purple
heart recipient responded to the Republican presidential candidate.
In an interview with ABC News, Trump claimed that
Ghazala Khan did not speak as her husband Khizr Khan spoke at the 2016
Democratic Convention because of their Islamic faith.
Trump
said, “If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say.
She probably, maybe she wasn’t allowed to have anything to say. You tell me.”
In
his appearance, Mr. Khan discussed that his family emigrated to the United
States and spoke about how his son served with distinction in the military,
losing his life in Iraq.
Khan pointed out that if Trump’s proposed ban on
Muslims were in place, his son would have not been able to serve.
ABC reporter Mary Bruce spoke to Ghazala Khan, and she responded to Trump’s smear. She said, “Running for President is not an entitlement to disrespect Gold Star families and [a] Gold Star mother.”
Khan
also explained that she did not speak at the convention because “I was in
pain.”
Khan responds to Trump, telling ABC: “running for President is not an entitlement to disrespect Gold Star families and [a] Gold Star mother”— Mary Bruce (@marykbruce) July 30, 2016Mrs. Khan tells ABC she was too overcome by grief to speak at the DNC, "I was in pain"— Mary Bruce (@marykbruce) July 30, 2016
In
interviews Mrs. Khan has said she still is filled with grief over the loss of
her son, and 12 years later still has trouble entering rooms in their home with
his picture.
She discussed this in an interview with MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell
the night after the couple appeared at the convention.
Hillary
Clinton released a statement after Trump decided to attack the Khan family on
Saturday:
“I was very moved to see Ghazala Khan stand bravely and with dignity in support of her son on Thursday night. And I was very moved to hear her speak last night, bravely and with dignity, about her son’s life and the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country.”
That,
Donald Trump is leadership. Once again, you show you are completely unfit for
the office you seek.
Author Oliver
Willis was one of the first political bloggers in the world (since
2000), and was among the first bloggers to interview President Obama at the
White House. On Twitter @owillis and
write at OliverWillis.com