Clinton and Kaine slam Trump for attack on Khan family
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In response to Donald Trump's comments about Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the family who spoke out against him at the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton said Sunday that Trump's attacks know no bounds.
"To launch an attack as he did on Captain Khan's mother, a Gold Star mother, who stood there on that stage with her husband honoring the sacrifice of their son," she told reporters gathered at a campaign stop in Ashland, Ohio, "I don't know where the bounds are. I don't know where the bottom is."
Asked about Khizr Khan's remarks at the convention in an interview, Trump suggested that Khizr's wife Gazala did not have a speaking role because of their Muslim faith. Clinton said that Trump's comments only serve to reinforce "the doubts that many Americans should have about his campaign."
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, traveling by bus with Clinton on their first campaign swing together through Pennsylvania and Ohio, added that "if you cannot show empathy for a Gold Star mom and dad, there is something fundamentally missing in your personality."
In her initial response to Trump's comments about the Khan family, Clinton said in a statement Saturday that now is "a time for all Americans to stand with the Khans, and with all the families whose children have died in service to our country." In Ashland, Clinton said that she "respect[s] and honor[s] the service of Captain Khan and the extraordinary dignity and bravery of his parents." She said she has reached out to them.
Asked why Republicans have stood by Trump, Clinton urged Americans to "pick country over party."
"A number of Republicans have said that," Clinton said. "We had, as you know, Republicans at our convention. We have had endorsements from Republicans who have analyzed his behavior and his rhetoric in this campaign and made it clear where they stood."
"The popular Republican governor of Ohio, has made very plain that this comment is just unacceptable," Kaine said, referring to Gov. John Kasich.
Kasich, who did not attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, tweeted on Saturday evening that "there's only one way to talk about Gold Star parents: with honor and respect."