The Gold Star father who blasted Donald Trump at the Democratic convention this summer is returning to the national stage this week, firing off a letter demanding the Senate reject Sen. Jeff Sessions, Mr. Trump’s attorney general nominee.
Khizr Khan, the Pakistan-born father of a U.S. Army captain killed in the Iraq war, said his son’s service was a rejection of people like Mr. Sessions, who he accused of associating with racially divisive and ’intensely anti-Muslim” groups.
Mr. Khan also said Mr. Sessions has defended proposals “that would single Muslim immigrants out for discriminatory treatment on the basis of their religious beliefs.”
“My son, U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, was a living rebuke to such bigotry,” the father wrote.
Mr. Khan became a celebrity after a fiery speech at Democrats’ convention denouncing Mr. Trump. The GOP candidate then responded with his own denunciations of Mr. Khan, setting off an unseemly back-and-forth.
His latest move suggests Mr. Khan intends to remain a thorn in the president-elect’s side.
The Senate will hold a confirmation hearing on Mr. Sessions on Tuesday, and he faces fierce resistance from civil rights groups who say he’s hostile to the Voting Rights Act and to illegal immigrants.
Mr. Sessions’ voting record does include support for measures cracking down on illegal immigration, though he also voted in 2006 for complete renewal of the Voting Rights Act.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.