Christie: The Khans 'Have The Right To Say Whatever It Is They Want'
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said during a press conference Tuesday that it's inappropriate to criticize the parents of an American soldier killed in Iraq.
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has been engaged in an emotionally charged feud with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq.
Khizr Khan, who is Muslim, gave a tribute to his son last week at the Democratic National Convention that was heavily critical of Trump.
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Christie said Tuesday that the pain of losing their son gives the Khans the right to say whatever they want.
"I didn't see Mr. Khan's speech at the DNC, but I'll just say this: I'm a father and I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child under any circumstances," Christie said. "And for Mr. and Mrs. Khan, the pain of losing their son while defending our country is unfathomable and I think it gives them the right to say whatever they want. Whether they're right or wrong, they have the right to say whatever it is they want and we need to honor their sacrifice for our country and we need to honor their son's sacrifice for our country."
Christie added that focusing on anything else is "missing the point."
"So my view on this, the Khans have the right to say whatever it is they want regarding the loss of their son and for all the Gold Star families out there, they have put forward a sacrifice that I cannot fathom as a parent," the New Jersey governor explained. "The idea of me losing any one of my four children is unthinkable and so you're not going to find me being critical or Mr. and Mrs. Khan no matter what they do, even if I may disagree with any one particular statement they might make. It's just inappropriate for us in this context to be criticizing them and I'm not going to participate in that."
Responding to comments from President Barack Obama that Trump isn't qualified to be president, Christie said Obama has disqualified himself from giving comments like that because he said Hillary Clinton is the most qualified person in American history to be president.
Christie is the head of Trump's transition team.
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