'Isn't it time to repudiate Trump?' Father of slain Muslim soldier calls on Paul Ryan and and Mitch McConnell to denounce the Republican nominee

 

The father of a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq protecting his base from a vehicle packed with explosives has called on Republican grandees to denounce Donald Trump.

Khizr Khan, father of U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, said House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have a 'moral imperative' to tell Trump 'enough'.

Calling Ryan and McConnell 'decent human beings', he begged through tears for both men to take an 'ethical stand', saying Trump will 'sink the ship of the patriot Republicans.' 

Speaking onMSNBC's 'Last Call With Lawrence O'Donnell' on Friday, Khan said: 'If your candidate wins and he governs the way he has campaigned, my country, this country, will have constitutional crises [like] never before.

'There is so much at stake, and I appeal to both of these leaders: This is the time.

'There comes a time in the history of a nation where an ethical, moral stand has to be taken regardless of the political costs.

'The only reason they're not repudiating his behavior, his threat to our democracy, our decency, our foundation, is just because of political consequences.'

Khan's latest interview comes just days after he delivered one of that standout speeches of the Democratic National Convention.

During his highly emotional speech he pulled a copy of the Constitution from his pocket before asking Trump: 'Have you ever even read it?'

Asked about his view of the Republican frontrunner on Friday, he reiterated: He has done nothing. No sacrifice.

'He may be a wonderful father, but he is not suitable, not fit, even for the candidacy of the stewardship that he is seeking.'

Ryan and McConnell have found themselves at odds with Trump both during primary season and after he became the presumptive Republican nominee, endorsing him one minute and then casting doubt on him the next.

Ryan has been particularly vocal against some of Trump's most high-profile pledges, including the Muslim ban, which he has repeatedly knocked down as going against the values of conservatism.

The speaker has also rebuked Trump for appearing to encourage violence at his rallies, for questioning the bias of Judge Gonzalo Curiel based on his race, and for refusing to immediately denounce the support of white supremacist leader David Duke.

Despite the apparent gulf of opinions between the two, Ryan has officially endorsed Trump and has helped to unify the Republican party around their candidate following a bruising primary season.

Meanwhile McConnell has said Trump 'needs to change' before he is ready for the presidency, while praising Hillary Clinton as 'intelligent and capable'.

Speaking to Time Warner Cable news last month, McConnell said: 'Trump clearly needs to change, in my opinion, to win the general election.

'My hope is that he is beginning to pivot and become what I would call a more serious and credible candidate for the highest office in the land.'

Asked whether Trump met the 'threshold of credibility' to become President, McConnell added: 'He’s getting closer. Getting closer.'

Despite that he has also endorsed Trump for the presidency, although only in lukewarm terms, saying the majority leader 'will endorse the party's candidate'.