McGinty pounces on Trump comments on Khan, urges Toomey to disavow GOP nominee
Katie McGinty said Donald Trump's words show he is "unfit" to be commander and chief and argued that Toomey has not done enough to speak out.
WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump won't go away -- and that could cause continuing headaches for Republicans such as Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.).
Now that Trump is formally the Republican nominee for president, GOP hopes that he might moderate his tone have been repeatedly dashed -- and now perhaps permanently smashed by his recent clash with the parents of a Muslim solider killed in Iraq.
Toomey's Democratic challenger, Katie McGinty, pounced on the latest flare-up Tuesday. She used Trump's comments about Gold Star parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan, who spoke out against him at the Democratic National Convention, to challenge Toomey to more firmly distance himself from his party's presidential nominee. McGinty said Trump's words show he is "unfit" to be commander and chief and argued that Toomey has not done enough to speak out.
"Silence is acceptance, and Pat Toomey at this point is accepting the threat to our security that Donald Trump directly poses," McGinty said in a conference call with reporters, as Trump's latest controversy again overshadowed all other political news. "It's extraordinary for someone who wants to represent this commonwealth and have a vote over war and peace to not recognize a threat to our security when it is so blatantly on display and to fail to speak up forcefully and unequivocally."
McGinty also cited Trump's occasional praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and seeming encouragement of Russian hackers. She accused Toomey of giving "full-throated" support and "aiding and abetting" the GOP nominee.
Toomey, however, has not endorsed Trump, and has distanced himself from several of the nominee's more incendiary comments -- including Trump's past calls to ban Muslims from immigrating. Toomey has said he "hopes" to back Trump but that he is not there yet, questioning the billionaire's tone and commitment to conservative principles.
"While Pat Toomey has frequently disagreed with Donald Trump's positions, Katie McGinty fully embraces Hillary Clinton's dangerous national security agenda which includes giving hundreds of billions to Iran and closing the terrorist prison at Guantanamo," said Toomey spokesman Ted Kwong.
On Monday, Toomey said in a statement that "the Khan family, like all Americans who lose loved ones in the defense of our country, deserve our gratitude and honor. Anything else is inappropriate."
Both parties see Pennsylvania's senate race as a crucial contest for determining control of the chamber. While many Republicans worry that Trump could turn off voters in the moderate Philadelphia suburbs, the GOP nominee has resonated and picked up enthusiastic support in some parts of the state.
You can follow Jonathan Tamari on Twitter or email him at jtamari@phillynews.com.