In an email sent to congressional supporters this week with the subject line ''Urgent Pivot: Khan and TPs,'' Trump's director of congressional affairs Scott Mason writes that ''the media is working against our efforts and our messaging specifically as it relates to the tragic death of Capt. Humayun Khan.'' He encourages backers to incorporate the campaign's talking points in press releases and social media posts.

Donald Trump's presidential campaign has asked allies on Capitol Hill to defend his heavily criticized remarks about the Muslim American parents of an Army soldier killed in Iraq, urging them to underscore his commitment to ending ''radical Islamic terror'' and de-emphasize his most confrontational comments.


The note, which was reported by multiple outlets Tuesday, was shared with The Washington Post by a recipient, who was granted anonymity to disclose private communications.

The talking points also advise surrogates how to speak about the Democratic National Committee's hacked emails, Russia, and the Democratic National Convention.

The section on Khizr Khan advises supporters to say that when Trump was asked about Khan's comments, ''he replied that he wished him well.''

It also advocates the argument that ''Mr. Trump wants to end radical Islamic terror, so that our soldiers like Mr. Khan's son will be safe.''

The talking points include portions of a statement Trump released over the weekend about Khan, who criticized Trump in a speech at the Democratic convention and whose son Humayun Khan, an Army captain, was killed by a car bomber in Iraq in 2004.

It omits the portion of the statement in which Trump says that Khan had ''no right'' to criticize him.

The talking points suggest arguing that Hillary Clinton's ''Russia Reset'' was a failure and Trump has ''repeatedly spoken out against Russian aggression.'' Democrats have noted that Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as they have held up the possibility that Russia hacked the DNC's email system.


''While the hack of the Democrat National Committee is worrisome to many Americans concerned with our nation's cyber security, what is concerning to Democrats is the content of the emails,'' the Trump campaign memo says. The emails show that some Democratic officials apparently plotted to help Clinton defeat Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the primary. The release has prompted top DNC officials to resign.

''The rigged primary that shut out the grassroots Sanders supporters gave way to the rigged convention which shut out Sanders supporters from voting, to silencing them from voicing displeasure with Clinton, to eventually shutting them out of the arena,'' the Trump campaign talking points say.