AUGUSTA – Gov. Paul LePage says the father of a deceased Muslim captain in the U.S. Army is a “con artist” for criticizing Donald Trump.

LePage, a Republican, made the comments on Wednesday during an appearance on a program hosted by Boston radio host Howie Carr.

LePage’s comments referenced Khizr Khan, whose son died while protecting other soldiers in Iraq. Khan made an appearance at the Democratic National Convention in which he was critical of Trump, the Republican nominee.

Maine Public Broadcasting Network reported that LePage’s comments came after Carr drew a comparison between the Boston Marathon bombers and an Iranian refugee who immigrated to Maine and later died fighting for ISIS.

LePage says Khan “uses the death of his son” to go after Trump.

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