Gold Star father Khizr Khan finally admitted that the United States never banned him from traveling.
Earlier in March, headlines were ablaze with the news that Khan&#8217;s planned speech at a lunch in Canada was canceled. The organization hosting him Ramsay Talks <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/14144/5-things-you-need-know-about-khizr-khan-travel-ban-aaron-bandler">wrote</a> on Facebook that Khan&#8217;s &#8220;travel privileges were being reviewed.&#8221;
Khan himself said in a statement, &#8220;This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad. I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.&#8221;
The story never made any sense from the get-go. As the <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/14231/so-khizr-khan-claim-us-stopped-him-traveling-was-michael-qazvini">Daily Wire pointed out</a>, no American citizen can be barred from traveling to another country if they haven&#8217;t been charged with a crime. Furthermore, a visa is not required to enter Canada, so the implied notion that President Donald Trump&#8217;s immigration and refugee pause was somehow involved couldn&#8217;t have been true. Following his veiled statement, Khan refused to provide more specifics.
But now Khan has admitted his canceled lunch was not the result of the U.S. stopping him from traveling.
In an email to a local PBS reporter, Khan <a href="http://ideastations.org/radio/news/khan-breaks-silence-canada-travel-cancellation">wrote</a>, &#8220;I did not want to go through the hassle of uncertain rules and capricious implementation.&#8221;
Additionally, Khan was wary of &#8220;Muslim profiling.&#8221; He won&#8217;t travel again until he&#8217;s certain that he won&#8217;t have to face any sort of Muslim profiling at the border.
This raises some questions: If this was the issue with Khan all along, why wasn&#8217;t he open about it when it was first announced that the lunch was canceled? Why did he refuse to provide clarity on the matter for weeks? Wouldn&#8217;t him being forthright about it from the beginning helped raise awareness about an issue that he claims to be truly concerned about? Instead, Khan allowed a fake news story to spread about him being banned by the U.S. government to travel to Canada.
(<a href="http://freebeacon.com/issues/khizr-khan-changes-story-didnt-attend-toronto-event/">H/T:</a> Washington Free Beacon)
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Khizr Khan Admits The U.S. Didn’t Ban Him From Traveling

Donald Trump

Immigration

Islam

Khizr Khan

Terrorism

Trump Administration

Surprise! Gold Star father Khizr Khan may have been lying when he <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Khizr-Khan-s-claim-that-the-US-is-restricting-his-10983885.php">said</a> his “travel privileges are being reviewed&#8221; by American authorities. Once a speaker at the Democratic National Convention, Khan shot to fame after holding out a copy of the Constitution and lambasting then Republican-candidate Trump in front of an audience of Democrats. Now he’s back in the news, or better yet, fake news.
On Monday, Khan claimed that he was barred from traveling to Canada after he was invited to speak at a conference.
Event organizers quickly jumped at the opportunity to blame the Trump administration, suggesting that Khan’s travel restrictions were somehow connected to the White House’s latest executive ban on refugees from six Muslim-majority countries.
“This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad,&#8221; <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Khizr-Khan-s-claim-that-the-US-is-restricting-his-10983885.php">stated</a> Khan, according to a Facebook post published by event organizer Ramsay Talks. &#8220;I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.&#8221;
But as SF Gate rightly <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Khizr-Khan-s-claim-that-the-US-is-restricting-his-10983885.php">notes</a>, “U.S. citizens don&#8217;t need visas to enter Canada, or even the electronic travel authorizations required of all other foreign visitors there.”
Given the fact that Khan has been a citizen for over 30 years, it would take an unprecedented, markedly extra-judicial step from the federal government to bar the Gold Star father’s travels.
“As a general rule, the United States cannot prevent passport-holding citizens from traveling if they have not been charged with a crime,” <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Khizr-Khan-s-claim-that-the-US-is-restricting-his-10983885.php">reports</a> SF Gate, adding:
<blockquote>Public records indicate that Khan has no criminal history, either at the federal level, in Charlottesville, where he lives, or in Silver Spring, his previous place of residence. Furthermore, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Politico that, as a rule, it does not contact travelers before their trips.</blockquote>
Khan’s claim has further been undermined by the Canadian government.
&#8220;We are unaware of any restrictions regarding this traveler,&#8221; <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Khizr-Khan-s-claim-that-the-US-is-restricting-his-10983885.php">affirmed</a> a spokeswoman for Canada&#8217;s Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen.
To date, Khan has not explained his predicament to media outlets seeking clarification.
Khan’s son, Humayun, was killed in Iraq in 2004, when he valiantly sacrificed his own life to save his fellow soldiers. Humayun was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart posthumously for his unquestionable valor.

So, That Khizr Khan Claim That The US Stopped Him From Traveling Was Apparently Nonsense

Canada

Democratic Party

Muslim Ban

Muslim Immigration

One story that&#8217;s been circulating through social media is Gold Star father Khizr Khan claiming that he&#8217;s under some sort of travel ban. It is a truly bizarre story without many specifics. Here are five things you need to know about it.
1. Khan&#8217;s speaking engagement in Toronto on Tuesday was canceled. Here is the statement from RamsayTalks, who was hosting Khan, about the cancellation:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Statement from Ramsey Talks regarding Khizr Khan cancellation is now up on their Facebook page. <a href="https://t.co/zQrAytHQaL">pic.twitter.com/zQrAytHQaL</a>
&#8212; Rosa Hwang (@journorosa) <a href="https://twitter.com/journorosa/status/838833225418092544">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
2. Khan is claiming that his &#8220;travel privileges are being reviewed.&#8221; &#8220;This turn of events is not just of deep concern to me but to all my fellow Americans who cherish our freedom to travel abroad,&#8221; Khan <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/khizr-khan-travel-privileges-toronto-235727">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;I have not been given any reason as to why. I am grateful for your support and look forward to visiting Toronto in the near future.&#8221;
3. Notably absent from Khan&#8217;s statement is specifics. Khan did not specify which person and from what agency told him that his &#8220;travel privileges are being reviewed&#8221;; no one is able to confirm it. It also doesn&#8217;t make any sense because Khan is a U.S. citizen; therefore he cannot be barred from traveling to Canada. Khan has declined further comment to <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/03/06/khizr_khan_s_travel_reportedly_under_review.html">various news outlets</a> that have asked him for more information..
4. Various government agencies have denied they&#8217;re barring Khan from traveling. Here&#8217;s what <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/06/inside-the-khizr-khan-travel-privilege-mystery.html?via=desktop&amp;source=twitter">The Daily Beast</a> got in response from government agencies on the matter:
<blockquote>
Instead, The Daily Beast called Customs and Border Patrol. CBP spokespeople did not explain what happened to Khan, but brushed away the notion that the father was told he could not go to Canada.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t do that. We&#8217;re not going to review&#8230; no, no,&#8221; Janice Mosher from U.S. Customs and Border Protection public affairs told The Daily Beast. &#8220;It&#8217;s not something we do.&#8221;
Mosher suggested that the Transportation Security Administration might have more information.
But a TSA spokesman directed The Daily Beast back to CBP. &#8220;That&#8217;s their slim lane,&#8221; Brian McNeal of the TSA said.
</blockquote>
5. Overall, people are skeptical of the story. Via <a href="http://twitchy.com/sd-3133/2017/03/06/so-bloody-weird-does-this-now-viral-story-about-khizr-khan-smell-fishy-to-you/">Twitchy</a>:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I can&#8217;t emphasize enough how skeptical of this &#8220;Khizr Khan had travel privileges revoked&#8221; story you should be. <a href="https://t.co/hstwtlj8Dp">https://t.co/hstwtlj8Dp</a>
&#8212; Jeff B/DDHQ (@EsotericCD) <a href="https://twitter.com/EsotericCD/status/838823862221537282">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I&#8217;m not retweeting it, but you should be *extremely* skeptical of this Khizr Khan tweet going around until a whole lot more info comes out
&#8212; Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenjySarlin/status/838834964942704640">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I&#8217;m a fan of Khizr Khan, but very skeptical of this story. Can&#8217;t think of any known legal reason why his travel could be restricted. <a href="https://t.co/2QhokTRYVR">https://t.co/2QhokTRYVR</a>
&#8212; (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) <a href="https://twitter.com/AG_Conservative/status/838824771622223872">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Be very careful with this story. No statement from Khan. Hard to imagine any grounds for passport revocation. <a href="https://t.co/iQGevqrEsE">https://t.co/iQGevqrEsE</a>
&#8212; Josh Barro (@jbarro) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbarro/status/838821823013875712">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Asked Khizr Khan several simple, clarifying Qs via email. He got back, saying only &#8220;Thank you &#8211; no comments.&#8221; I&#8217;d stay away from this story
&#8212; Domenico Montanaro (@DomenicoNPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/DomenicoNPR/status/838873178998988802">March 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://twitter.com/bandlersbanter">Follow Aaron Bandler on Twitter.</a>

5 Things You Need To Know About The Khizr Khan Travel Ban Story

A spokesperson for Hillary Clinton literally told Donald Trump to &#8220;go f*** yourself.&#8221;
Jesse Lehrich, Clinton&#8217;s foreign policy spokesman, apparently took umbrage at Trump&#8217;s remark during Sunday&#8217;s presidential debate that Capt. Humayun Khan might still be alive if not for Clinton.
&#8220;Unlike her, who voted for the war&#8230;I would not have had people in Iraq because Iraq was a disaster,&#8221; Trump <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/10/09/presidential-debate-hillary-clinton-spokesman-donald-trump-captain-khan/">said</a>. &#8220;So he would be alive today.&#8221;
Lehrich then unleashed the following tweet, which was just a little bit vulgar:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
hey, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> &#8211; regarding your claim that Captain Khan would be alive if you were president:
go fuck yourself.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/debate?src=hash">#debate</a>
&#8212; Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseLehrich/status/785294631382712321">October 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
That tweet has still not been deleted.
Lehrich did apologize for it:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I want to apologize for the clearly inappropriate nature and language of this personal tweet. Sorry all.
&#8212; Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseLehrich/status/785301922068692998">October 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
Naturally, Twitter savaged Lehrich for his colorful verbiage:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Hillary said during debate she&#8217;s against dirty campaigning: &#8220;When they go low, we go high&#8221; 
Here&#8217;s her spokesman <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseLehrich">@JesseLehrich</a> tonight: <a href="https://t.co/XvCalLS57I">pic.twitter.com/XvCalLS57I</a>
&#8212; TrumpCoastOfSC (@Ma1973sk) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ma1973sk/status/785324661903020037">October 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Trump did so well this evening, Jesse Lehrich (Official Foreign Policy Spokesperson for Hillary Clinton) snapped during the debate. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/debate?src=hash">#debate</a> <a href="https://t.co/UlDGN3YdQy">pic.twitter.com/UlDGN3YdQy</a>
&#8212; Cuomo Watch (@CuomoWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/CuomoWatch/status/785322026382786560">October 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Oops! <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseLehrich">@JesseLehrich</a> has the same dirty mouth as <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton">@HillaryClinton</a> is w/ her <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SecretService?src=hash">#SecretService</a> agents! Apple doesn&#8217;t fall far from the tree . <a href="https://t.co/FqewHCkmMb">pic.twitter.com/FqewHCkmMb</a>
&#8212; Manny Veyna Jr (@Texican24) <a href="https://twitter.com/Texican24/status/785583742110666752">October 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
<a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/9843/13-most-vulgar-things-hillary-has-ever-said-hank-berrien">Vulgarity</a> does seem to be a common theme with Clinton. It would appear to be hypocritical for Clinton to get on her horse and rail against Trump&#8217;s crude language when her spokesman uses profanity in a tweet that he has yet to delete.
(h/t: <a href="http://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2016/10/09/hillary-clinton-foreign-policy-spox-to-donald-trump-go-f-yourself-debate/?utm_content=buffer4340b&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">Twitchy</a>)

Clinton Spokesperson Told Trump To ‘Go F*** Yourself’

Hillary Clinton

On Wednesday night, appearing on CNN&#8217;s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/08/02/trump-spox-khan-died-because-of-obama.html?via=desktop&amp;source=copyurl">factually-challenged</a> Donald Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson tried to defend Donald Trump from the firestorm that has arisen from his remarks about the family of Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in 2004 in Iraq.
There were two glaring falsehoods in Pierson&#8217;s remarks: not only did she claim that the change to the rules of engagement under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were responsible for Khan&#8217;s death, which is absurd because he died more than four years before Obama took office, but she also implied that Donald Trump was opposed to the Iraq War, which is blatantly false, as he <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/02/18/donald-trump-said-he-favored-iraq-invasion-in-2002-interview/">favored it</a> in a 2002 interview with radio host Howard Stern.
Blitzer prompted Pierson&#8217;s flight into fancy and weird sense of logic by commenting on Trump&#8217;s heated response to the remarks of Khmir Khan at the Democratic National Convention:
<blockquote>
Most people would have said, &#8220;You know what? This family has lost a son, a hero, fought on the battle, prevented some of his fellow soldiers from dying by going into that suicide, that car bombing, if you will, I&#8217;m not going to get into a discussion of back and forth. I praise this family; I praise the son,&#8221; and move on. He didn&#8217;t have to go back and forth and respond to all of the statements made by the father.
</blockquote>
The combative but fact-denying Pierson replied:
<blockquote>
But surely you can understand the confusion considering that Donald Trump never voted for the Iraq War. Hillary Clinton did. And then she didn&#8217;t support the troops to have what they need. It was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagements that probably cost his life.
</blockquote>
Pierson is used to lying; in late June she <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2016/06/here-are-the-3-biggest-lies-katrina-pierson-told-in-a-12-minute-cnn-interview/">snapped</a> of the media coverage of Trump&#8217;s Muslim ban, &#8220;I know the news media was reporting that the initial ban was against all Muslims, and that simply was not the case.&#8221; But a December 7, 2015 statement released by the Trump campaign stated, &#8220;Donald Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country&#8217;s representatives can figure out what&#8217;s going on.&#8221;
<blockquote>
&#8220;It was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagements that probably cost his life.&#8221;
Trump spokesowoman Katrina Pierson, altering the historical calendar
</blockquote>
In March, after Trump tweeted a flattering image of his wife next to a terribly unflattering picture of Heidi Cruz, Pierson <a href="http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/03/29/donald-trump-spox-katrina-pierson-beclowns-herself.-call-tuesday./">told</a> CNN&#8217;s Don Lemon, &#8220;That&#8217;s the point here. Mr. Trump is defending his wife. There is no such thing as an attack on Heidi Cruz. I have yet to hear the attack on Heidi Cruz.&#8221;

Trump Spokeswoman Katrina Pierson’s Newest Flight Of Fancy: Obama’s Rules Of Engagement Got Humayun Khan Killed

Sarah Palin&#8217;s son-in-law, Dakota Meyer, a 2011 Medal of Honor winner for his service who received the Medal of Honor in 2011 for his actions during the Battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, slammed Donald trump for his remarks vis-à-vis the Khan family, which have landed the GOP nominee in hot water this week.
Meyer tweeted:
<div class="media_embed">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">If <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> wants to be the Commander in Chief, he needs to act like one. And that cant start until he apologizes to the Khans.
— Dakota Meyer (@Dakota_Meyer) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dakota_Meyer/status/760592745178083328">August 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
</div>
CNN<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/02/politics/dakota-meyer-donald-trump-apologize/"> reported</a> that Meyer’s tweet was retweeted by the Hillary Clinton campaign. Meyer, married to Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin’s daughter, has grown active in politics; he endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz in the Republican primaries this year. He was considering &#8212; when the Texas senator was the main challenger to Trump. He also briefly considered a congressional run in Kentucky.
Meyer’s service credentials are extremely impressive; he is the second youngest living recipient of the Medal of Honor, and the first living Marine in 38 years to have the award bestowed on him. His exemplary actions during the battle of Ganjgal on September 8, 2009, included discovering that three Marines and a Navy corpsman were missing after they were ambushed. While under enemy fire, Meyer entered an area that was identified as insurgent territory and found the four men dead, but <a href="http://www.dakotameyer.com/medal-of-honor.html">during his search</a> &#8220;personally evacuated 12 friendly wounded and provided cover for another 24 Marines and soldiers to escape likely death at the hands of a numerically superior and determined foe.&#8221;
Meyer’s Medal of Honor citation <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20111124043800/https://www.marines.mil/community/Pages/MedalofHonorSgtDakotaMeyer-citation.aspx">reads</a>:
<blockquote>For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on 8 September 2009. Corporal Meyer maintained security at a patrol rally point while other members of his team moved on foot with two platoons of Afghan National Army and Border Police into the village of Ganjgal for a pre-dawn meeting with village elders. Moving into the village, the patrol was ambushed by more than 50 enemy fighters firing rocket propelled grenades, mortars, and machine guns from houses and fortified positions on the slopes above. Hearing over the radio that four U.S. team members were cut off, Corporal Meyer seized the initiative. With a fellow Marine driving, Corporal Meyer took the exposed gunner&#8217;s position in a gun-truck as they drove down the steeply terraced terrain in a daring attempt to disrupt the enemy attack and locate the trapped U.S. team. Disregarding intense enemy fire now concentrated on their lone vehicle, Corporal Meyer killed a number of enemy fighters with the mounted machine guns and his rifle, some at near point blank range, as he and his driver made three solo trips into the ambush area. During the first two trips, he and his driver evacuated two dozen Afghan soldiers, many of whom were wounded. When one machine gun became inoperable, he directed a return to the rally point to switch to another gun-truck for a third trip into the ambush area where his accurate fire directly supported the remaining U.S. personnel and Afghan soldiers fighting their way out of the ambush. Despite a shrapnel wound to his arm, Corporal Meyer made two more trips into the ambush area in a third gun-truck accompanied by four other Afghan vehicles to recover more wounded Afghan soldiers and search for the missing U.S. team members. Still under heavy enemy fire, he dismounted the vehicle on the fifth trip and moved on foot to locate and recover the bodies of his team members. Meyer&#8217;s daring initiative and bold fighting spirit throughout the 6-hour battle significantly disrupted the enemy&#8217;s attack and inspired the members of the combined force to fight on. His unwavering courage and steadfast devotion to his U.S. and Afghan comrades in the face of almost certain death reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service</blockquote>

Medal of Honor Recipient Dakota Meyer, Palin’s Son-In-Law, Slams Trump Over Khan Remarks

Corey Lewandowski, former campaign manager of the GOP presidential nominee, Donald Trump, said something completely reprehensible with regard to Capt. Humayun Khan.
Trump has been tangling with Khan&#8217;s Gold Star parents all week ever since Khan&#8217;s father, Khizr, gave an emotional speech at the Democratic National Convention where he tore into Trump, as his wife, Ghazala, stood silently by his side. Lewandowski piled onto Trump&#8217;s idiocy with the <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/08/01/lewandowski-khan-would-be-alive-if-trump-were-president.html?via=desktop&amp;source=copyurl">following ghastly comment </a>on CNN&#8217;s New Day:
<blockquote>
If Donald Trump was the president, Captain Khan would be alive today because he never would have engaged in a war that didn&#8217;t directly benefit this country. He&#8217;s been very clear about that fact and said I don&#8217;t support Iraq and I don&#8217;t support Afghanistan.
</blockquote>
To label this comment as appalling would be a massive understatement. Here are five reasons why.
1. Trump actually supported the Iraq War. In 2002, shock jock Howard Stern flat-out asked Trump if he supported the Iraq War. Trump <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/in-2002-donald-trump-said-he-supported-invading-iraq-on-the?utm_term=.ccDXbD0A#.enVjBd7W">answered</a>, &#8220;Yeah, I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly.&#8221;
When Lewandowski was told this, he indignantly responded: &#8220;He&#8217;s been on the record multiple, multiple, multiple times saying he was against the war, unlike Hillary Clinton. If Donald Trump was president, these troops never would have gone&#8230; Captain Khan would be alive, as would 7,000 other soldiers.&#8221;
In other words, facts don&#8217;t matter to Lewandowski; he just had to keep pushing the ghastly talking point.
2. Trump&#8217;s running mate, Mike Pence, voted for the Iraq War in Congress. And <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/7574/5-most-awkward-moments-trumppence-joint-appearance-aaron-bandler">Trump excused him </a>for it. It&#8217;s hard to argue that the Iraq War wouldn&#8217;t have happened under a President Trump when his own running mate voted for the war.
3. There&#8217;s no way to know exactly how things would have turned out if there had been a President Trump in 2002. One of the biggest concerns people have about Trump is that they don&#8217;t know how exactly Trump will act in the Oval Office, so it would be even harder to guess how Trump would have acted as president in 2002. Even if a President Trump had been against the Iraq War, who&#8217;s to say that he wouldn&#8217;t have gotten the country into a different war because some leader may have taken an indirect swipe at Trump? What if Trump had gone full isolationist in his foreign policy like Pat Buchanan right after 9/11, and another enormous terrorist attack had occurred in the homeland?
The point is that it&#8217;s simply unknowable to know how things would have turned out for a President Trump, so for Lewandowski to act like he&#8217;s certain about what would have occurred is hogwash. Maybe Capt. Khan would still be alive, maybe he wouldn&#8217;t be. There&#8217;s no way to know for sure. But what truly makes Lewandowski&#8217;s comment ghastly is that&#8230;
4. Capt. Khan&#8217;s parents are clearly still grieving over the loss of their son. Ghazala Khan <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ghazala-khan-donald-trump-criticized-my-silence-he-knows-nothing-about-true-sacrifice/2016/07/31/c46e52ec-571c-11e6-831d-0324760ca856_story.html">wrote</a> an op-ed in The Washington Post explaining that her son died from a car bomb in an attempt &#8220;to save his soldiers and innocent civilians,&#8221; according to Khan, and the agony of losing a loved one never goes away.
&#8220;I cannot walk into a room with pictures of Humayun. For all these years, I haven&#8217;t been able to clean the closet where his things are &#8212; I had to ask my daughter-in-law to do it,&#8221; wrote Khan. &#8220;Walking onto the convention stage, with a huge picture of my son behind me, I could hardly control myself. What mother could? Donald Trump has children whom he loves. Does he really need to wonder why I did not speak?&#8221;
When a loved one passes away, there are always moments when you wonder if everything possible had been done to save his or her life, and wonder if only a certain event didn&#8217;t occur or somebody had done this differently, would things have been different? It can drive you crazy. Lewandowski claiming that Khan would still be alive only further compounds this agony.
5. There is a more appropriate way to respond to the Khan family. Cindy Sheehan, whose son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, died serving in Iraq in 2004, was a vocal critic of then-President George W. Bush. According <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-attack-gold-star-family-210858068.html">Yahoo! Finance</a>, Sheehan &#8220;held an anti-war vigil outside Bush&#8217;s ranch in Crawford, Texas, in 2005.&#8221;
Here was Bush&#8217;s response to Sheehan:
<blockquote>
I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan. She feels strongly about her position, and she has every right in the world to say what she believes. This is America. She has the right to her position. And I thought long and hard about her position &#8212; I&#8217;ve heard her position from others, which is &#8220;get out of Iraq now.&#8221; And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so.
</blockquote>
Agree or disagree, there&#8217;s no questioning the honor, integrity, and grace of Bush&#8217;s statement. Trump and Lewandowski should take a page from Bush on how to respond to the Khans, but they&#8217;re too thin-skinned and hot-headed to show any form of respect towards the Gold Star parents.
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Trump Surrogate: Trump Would Have Kept Capt. Khan Alive. Here Are 5 Reasons That’s Awful.

Corey Lewandowski

George W. Bush

Donald Trump’s public feud with the Khan family has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats alike. There’s always been a staunch bipartisan consensus, or better yet unspoken code of honor, against throwing verbal daggers at the families of decorated war veterans. In more ways than one, Trump is an anomaly. On Monday, the Republican presidential nominee continued his uninterrupted vitriol against the Khans in an interview with a local Ohio television station.
Rather than laying out a comprehensive presidential plan to alleviate the financial pain of Ohio’s manufacturing sector, Trump used the bully pulpit at campaign stop in the swing state to suggest that Khizr Khan, the father of slain US Army Captain and Purple Heart recipient Humayun Khan, was actually bothered by the fact that under Trump’s supposed plan radical Islamic terrorists would be prevented from entering the country.
“It’s a very big subject for me. And border security’s very big,” Trump <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/trump-my-position-on-keeping-terrorists-out-is-what-bothered?utm_term=.vckKzZmn2Y#.fgP4BJYLOM">stated</a> in vintage <a href="http://www.bustle.com/articles/111102-the-gop-debate-brought-braggadocio-back-in-two-totally-obvious-ways">braggadocio</a> fashion. “And when you have radical Islamic terrorists probably all over the place, we’re allowing them to come in by the thousands and thousands. And I think that’s what bothered Mr. Khan more than anything else.”
Trump is implying here that Khan, a well-educated attorney whose son literally sacrificed his life for his brothers-in-arms (effectively using his own body as a shield against a car-bomb headed for an army mess hall full of US troops) secretly wants jihadists, the same kind of men that killed Humayun, to infiltrate the United States, the same country Humayun died protecting.
Falling back on the cudgel of fear-mongering, the billionaire Manhattan businessman qualified his remarks with pseudo-strongman rhetoric about terrorism.
“And, you know, I’m not going to change my views on that. We have radical Islamic terrorists coming in that have to be stopped,” said Trump. “We’re taking them in by the thousands.”
As The Washington Post editorial board <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-is-a-unique-threat-to-american-democracy/2016/07/22/a6d823cc-4f4f-11e6-aa14-e0c1087f7583_story.html">notes</a>, Trump’s penchant for unfiltered personal attacks is unprecedented in modern American politics. “What the candidate does offer is a series of prejudices and gut feelings, most of them erroneous,” asserts the Post, adding:
<blockquote>Mr. Trump campaigns by insult and denigration, insinuation and wild accusation: Ted Cruz’s father was involved in the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/03/donald-trump-associates-ted-cruzs-father-with-jfks-assassin/">assassination</a> of President John F. Kennedy; Hillary Clinton may be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-escalates-attack-on-bill-clinton/2016/05/23/ed109acc-2100-11e6-8690-f14ca9de2972_story.html">guilty of murder</a>; Mr. Obama is a traitor who <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/06/13/donald-trump-suggests-president-obama-was-involved-with-orlando-shooting/">wants Muslims to attack</a>.</blockquote>
Donald Trump is everything the Left has accused Republicans of being since Reagan first gave his inspirational his “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_in_America">Morning in America</a>” speech. After years of hyperbole and demonization, hurling invective at good, decent men, the Left no longer has the lexicon to effectively capture a true demagogue. There’s only so many times you can call your political opponent “Hitler” or “bigot” before language ceases to convey meaning and falls on deaf ears.

Trump: The Khans Only Dislike Me Because They Want More Terrorists In The Country

According to the <a href="http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=51887">Associated Press</a>, GOP vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence&#8217;s team is thinking of distancing Pence from Trump after Trump&#8217;s incendiary remarks concerning Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the Gold Star Muslim parents of an army captain killed in Iraq.
After Pence tried to defend Trump by issuing a statement on Sunday night in which he said that he and Trump believe Capt. Khan was a hero and his family &#8220;should be cherished by every American,&#8221; AP reported, &#8220;Pence&#8217;s late Sunday statement came after an afternoon of debate among his aides as to whether he should find a way to subtly distance himself from Trump&#8217;s comments, according to a person familiar with the internal campaign conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.&#8221;
Pence is caught between a rock and a hard place; he must align himself with Trump as he is his running mate, but the consistent inflammatory and unnecessary remarks by Trump leave him desperate that he will be permanently tainted by his association with Trump.
The remarks regarding the Khans were not the first time Pence has had to find space between him and Trump; last week, Pence<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-russia-pence-idUSKCN10725E"> stated</a> Russia would face &#8220;serious consequences&#8221; for meddling in U.S. elections, saying, &#8220;If it is Russia and they are interfering in our elections, I can assure you both parties and the United States government will ensure there are serious consequences.&#8221; But Pence&#8217;s remarks were virtually concomitant with Trump&#8217;s remarks in which he seemed to embrace Russia publishing emails that Hillary Clinton deleted from the private servers she used while secretary of state, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/28/us/politics/donald-trump-russia-clinton-emails.html?_r=0">saying</a>, &#8220;Russia, if you&#8217;re listening, I hope you&#8217;re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.&#8221;
It&#8217;s ironic that Pence has to consistently bail Trump out, since Trump tried to dump Pence after he had announced he would choose him as a running mate:
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Scoop: <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> was so unsure about <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_pence">@mike_pence</a> that around midnight last night he asked top aides if he could get out of it
&#8212; Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaBashCNN/status/754007849022480384">July 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
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NBC NEWS: <a href="https://twitter.com/KellyO">@KellyO</a> reports Donald Trump was on the phone until midnight, asking if he could change his VP pick <a href="https://t.co/kjtUmt4swj">https://t.co/kjtUmt4swj</a>
&#8212; Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/754020430415933440">July 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Pence has been a dutiful soldier up until now; when he was asked if Trump went too far when he attacked the character of senator John McCain, Pence was silent, finally offering a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/18/donald-trump-mike-pence-60-minutes-interview-bad">weak statement</a> of general principle:
<blockquote>
I promise you that when the circumstances arise where I have a difference on policy or on presentation, I have &#8211; I can tell you in my heart, I know &#8211; I would have no hesitation, were I privileged to be vice-president, to walk into the president&#8217;s office, close the door, and share my heart. And I also know this good man would listen, and has the leadership qualities to draw from the people around him.
</blockquote>
Pence may try to distance himself from Trump, but their relationship is like a rubber band; there is only so far he can go before the GOP forces him to zing back to Trump&#8217;s side as his running mate.

Is Pence Beginning To Distance Himself From Trump?

Mike Pence

On Monday, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, wiggling free just far enough from his grip on Donald Trump&#8217;s coattails to utter a mild criticism of his party&#8217;s nominee, criticized Trump for his comments regarding Gold Star father and mother Khizr Khan and his wife.
<a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/priebus-trump-khizr-khan-226533">Politico</a> reports Priebus told CNN&#8217;s Wolf Blitzer: &#8220;And so, yeah, I mean, I think this family should be off limits, and we love them and I can&#8217;t imagine being the father of a little girl and boy going through the unbelievable grief of them not coming home one day in battle.&#8221;
Referencing Trump&#8217;s comment in which he compared the sacrifice the Khan&#8217;s had made in losing their son to his own sacrifices in building a business, Priebus added nothing is &#8220;more sacrificial than that, and we believe that and we know that and I believe that Donald Trump and Mike Pence also know and understand that.&#8221;
Priebus said there is &#8220;nothing but honor and respect&#8221; for the Khan family and all Gold Star families &#8220;that go through these horrific things in their life &#8230; It&#8217;s an unbelievable place to come from and that&#8217;s why I think that we just &#8212; we don&#8217;t go there and I don&#8217;t go there.
Then Priebus returned to his usual supine position regarding Trump: &#8220;Donald Trump is gonna speak for Donald Trump. I mean, he wants to defend himself and it&#8217;s understandable. But look, like I said before, this is a family that is grieving and they have a right to and we have an obligation to honor them and to love them and to cherish them and that&#8217;s where I&#8217;m &#8212; that&#8217;s where I come from. That&#8217;s where our party&#8217;s coming from.&#8221;
<blockquote>
&#8220;I will absolutely apologize sometime in the hopefully distant future if I&#8217;m ever wrong.&#8221;
Donald Trump, September 2015
</blockquote>
Blitzer asked whether Trump should apologize. Priebus, knowing all too well that Trump never apologizes for anything, replied, &#8220;It&#8217;s up to Donald Trump,&#8221; adding, &#8220;You know, I love these families. Our party loves these families. And like I said before, they&#8217;re heroes, they&#8217;re cherished and, I mean, everything you can imagine. I mean, it&#8217;s just an unbelievable burden to carry and, you know, whatever sacrifices that I think I&#8217;ve made or whatever sacrifices you think you&#8217;ve made, Wolf, I mean, there are crumbs on the floor compared to these families.&#8221;
Last September, Trump <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-explains-doesnt-apologize_us_55f434cce4b077ca094f4bf5">told</a> Jimmy Fallon, &#8220;I will absolutely apologize sometime in the hopefully distant future if I&#8217;m ever wrong.&#8221;
Not likely.

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