David Perdue: Gold Star family flap 'another media distraction spun by Hillary Clinton'
A wall of silence from Donald Trump's top surrogates in Georgia has greeted his escalating tiff with the family of a slain Muslim U.S. Army soldier. Until now.
U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who donned Trump's tell-tale "Make America Great Again" hat when he endorsed the candidate, sent word through a spokeswoman that he stands by the nominee.
“No one will do more for our troops, veterans, and their families than Donald Trump," said the spokeswoman, "and this is just another media distraction spun by Hillary Clinton, as we all agree Captain Khan is an American hero.”
He is the first high-ranking Georgia politician to defend Trump amid his war of words with Khizr Khan, the father of the U.S. Army captain killed in Iraq in 2004 who questioned whether Trump had sacrificed anything in his life last week at the Democratic National Convention.
Most other Georgia office-holders declined to comment. And Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is seeking a third term in November, sent this no-frills statement that doesn't mention Trump's name.
"Captain Khan made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and we owe a debt of gratitude to him and his family. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am committed to honoring the sacrifice of our fallen heroes and all of our Gold Star families."
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
