John McCain Is Not Letting Trump Get Away With It.

It's no secret that Arizona Senator John McCain is no fan of Donald Trump. Sure, the Republican (begrudgingly) endorsed his party's nominee for president, but it's now clear that McCain has lost all respect for Trump as a prospective commander-in-chief. In a statement released Monday morning, war hero McCain condemned Trump's response to Khizr Khan's DNC speech, saying that even partisan politics could no longer keep him from publicly stating his disagreement (and disgust) with Trump.

At the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Khan — the father of fallen Army Captain Humayun Khan, a Muslim American soldier who was killed in Iraq in 2004 — gave a speech denouncing Trump's xenophobia, and questioning whether or not the GOP nominee has ever even read the United States Constitution or visited Arlington National Cemetery. Trump, of course, responded to Khan's speech with disrespect, suggesting that his wife, Ghazala, did not speak at the convention because she was not allowed to as a Muslim woman. (Nope. Understandably, Ghazala Khan didn't speak at the DNC because she's still distraught over her son's death.)

Well, McCain is not letting Trump get away with disparaging a war hero and his family. McCain himself is a decorated Navy pilot who served in the Vietnam War — and, of course, was a POW for several years.

In his statement, McCain denounced the GOP nominee's anti-Muslim rhetoric and his response to the Khan family, writing:

In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier's parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States — to say nothing of entering its service. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates... It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party. While our Party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.

Clearly, McCain wants Americans to understand that Trump's xenophobia is not representative of the beliefs of the entire Republican Party. The senator continued:

I'd like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Khan: thank you for immigrating to America. We're a better country because of you. And you are certainly right; your son was the best of America, and the memory of his sacrifice will make us a better nation — and he will never be forgotten.

Of all the condemnations of Trump's statements about the Khan family, McCain's is one of the most powerful — perhaps because the respected Republican lawmaker publicly went against his own party's presidential nominee.

If McCain's statement proves anything, it's that contempt for Trump crosses party lines. Trump's rhetoric is so abhorrent that members of his own party cannot keep from speaking out against their presidential nominee. Perhaps McCain will not be casting a ballot for Trump in November after all.