John McCain was previously disparaged by Donald Trump for having been captured during the Vietnam War. | AP Photo McCain slams Trump over Khan fight Other Republicans chime in with criticism of the GOP nominee.

Sen. John McCain slammed Donald Trump on Monday for feuding with the parents of a fallen Muslim soldier, offering perhaps his sternest rebuke yet of a candidate with whom he has clashed throughout the campaign process.

"In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier’s parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States — to say nothing of entering its service,” McCain said in a statement released by his office Monday. “I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates.”


Khizr and Ghazala Khan became the unexpected stars of the Democratic National Convention’s final day last week, delivering an emotional speech honoring their late son, Army Capt. Humayun Khan, and attacking Trump’s often divisive rhetoric. Pulling a small pocket version of the Constitution from his jacket, Khizr Khan accused the Manhattan billionaire of having never read the document and offered to lend Trump his own copy.

Trump responded over the weekend that the family had “no right” to attack him from the convention stage in Philadelphia and took to Twitter on Monday morning to counterprogram the Khans multiple morning TV news interviews.

In his statement, McCain said he was “morally bound to speak only to the things that command my allegiance,” specifically naming the Republican Party and the United States of America. He said he would not refrain from speaking up “simply because it may benefit others with whom I disagree,” presumably a reference to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

McCain’s Arizona colleague, Sen. Jeff Flake, later remarked that he was “completely flummoxed” by Trump’s comments.

“I think most Americans are [as well] at why someone would do that,” Flake told CNN.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio ripped into Trump for claiming that Khan had “no right” to criticize him for his rhetoric, citing the First Amendment rights of all Americans. Still, Trump’s former primary rival did not outright condemn his comments.

Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, who like McCain and Rubio is facing reelection, decried Trump’s statements about Khan’s parents.

“My advice to Donald Trump has been and will continue to be to focus on jobs and national security and stop responding to every criticism whether it’s from a grieving family or Hillary Clinton,” Blunt said in a statement released by his office.

Even for former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, an early Trump supporter, his nominee had gone too far.

“The bottom line is anyone who serves and gives their life for their country holds a special place in my heart. I certainly think it could have been handled differently,” Brown told the New York Daily News. “His son gave his service and sacrifice to our country and to me that supersedes everything. All he needed to do is thank them for their service and move on.”

McCain was an early target of Trump’s, who said the longtime Arizona senator should not be considered a hero even though he was held as a prisoner of war for more than five years and tortured after his aircraft was shot down during the Vietnam War. Of the former Navy pilot and 2008 GOP presidential nominee, Trump said, “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”

McCain, who has offered a tepid endorsement of Trump but has otherwise steered clear of discussing presidential politics, seemed to create for himself a loophole through which he could escape that endorsement at a later date. Amid a call for Trump to change the tone of his rhetoric, McCain said that “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.”

“Lastly, I’d like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: Thank you for immigrating to America,” McCain said in ending his statement. “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.”