Veterans activists to McCain: Stand up to Trump

A group of veteran activists delivered boxes of petitions to the Capitol Hill office of Vietnam veteran Sen. John McCain on Thursday, urging him to rescind his endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for a series of controversial statements.

The event, with more than twice the number of media than protesters, came during the quiet August congressional break in Washington but amid a firestorm of attention for Trump’s campaign, caught in a series of scandals in the wake of the Democratic convention in Philadelphia a week earlier.
Group organizers, which included the left-leaning advocacy organization MoveOn.org and the anti-Trump Vets vs Hate coalition, said the Republican Arizona senator needs to set an example for his fellow lawmakers by distancing himself from Trump and his “hateful rhetoric” for the good of the nation.

“John McCain is a leader within his party, he is known as someone who stands up for his values … and he is someone who Donald Trump has personally insulted,” said Alexander McCoy, a Marine Corps veteran who has organized numerous veterans-themed protests of Trump during the campaign.

“We believe that McCain, and other Republican leaders in the party like (House Speaker) Paul Ryan and (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell, have a responsibility to stand up and represent the values the Republican party has always been about, and not accept this kind of disrespect.”

Trump has taken intense criticism in recent days from political opponents, veterans groups and even Republican leaders for his publicly fighting with a Gold Star father who spoke at the Democratic convention and for comments he made while receiving a Purple Heart from a supporter.

Veterans at the petition event also accused him of “spreading hate” through policy proposals which would bar Muslim immigrants from America and promises to improve national security through more aggressive use of the military.

Group members emphasized they and petition signers are not endorsing Trump’s election opponent, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, but condemning Trump as unfit for the commander-in-chief post.

More than 100,000 individuals signed the petition. Earlier this week, McCain blasted Trump for his insensitive comments toward the Gold Star father, but stopped short of rescinding his endorsement of him.

The two have publicly sparred since last summer, when Trump questioned McCain’s status as a combat veteran and war hero because he was captured by enemy forces in the Vietnam War. Veterans groups called the comments insulting to all prisoners of war, but Trump brushed off calls for an apology.