Lewandowski's Defense Of Trump Was Problematic

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump's former campaign manager has come to his defense yet again. It's a shame that Trump ever fired Corey Lewandowski, considering how loyal the latter has been over the last few months. Trump has been feuding with Khizr Khan, the father of a Muslim American soldier who died in Iraq, for the last few days over Khan's speech at the Democratic National Convention. There, he asked whether Trump had ever read the Constitution. Well, CNN's new correspondent, Lewandowski, quickly came to Trump's defense over Khan's statements and the ensuing feud.

After Khan's speech at last week's DNC, Trump has taken to Twitter and TV interviews to get the last jab at the family. On Twitter, Trump suggested that Khan had "viciously attacked" him from the DNC stage, and asked, "Am I not allowed to respond?" If we're honest, as someone running for president of the United States, Trump will continue to receive criticism from people around the world. So he might want to find a better way of blowing off steam than taking to Twitter with aggression. He should also probably refrain from personal jabs, including his Islamophobic speculation about why Khan's wife, Ghazala, didn't speak up at the convention.

Even so, after days of Trump's ongoing insulting statements toward the Khan family, Lewandowski came to his defense on CNN Monday morning, suggesting that Khan started it and that Trump just responded. He also said that Khan's son Humayun would still be alive today had Trump been president. When Khan died in 2004, George W. Bush was president.

Political commentator and former speaker of the New York City Council Christine Quinn had some important words for Lewandowski and Trump. So listen up. She said:

First of all, this isn't about the Khan family. Mr. Khan spoke and then Donald Trump attacked Mrs. Khan and whether she had the ability to speak with a gross insensitivity and inability to see the clear grief and anguish on that woman's face. I understand in politics ... when you get hit, you hit back, but sometimes things are greater than a political campaign. And this family's loss ... you know what the appropriate response is — attack or not — "We're sorry for your loss and we thank you for raising such a wonderful child who would give his life to protect his men and women." That's the only answer here.

Unfortunately, even after Quinn's important and insightful suggestion that Trump move on and acknowledge that the Khans' pain is greater than he can understand, Lewandowski still came to his defense, claiming that they brought the critique upon themselves when they stepped onto the DNC stage. He repeatedly asserted that Trump "didn't start the fight," and unfortunately sent a dangerous message to the Khan family and any Americans who criticize the GOP nominee: If you say something negative, you deserve the aggression that follows.

Even though Lewandowski is no longer directly associated with the Trump campaign, his repeated inability to hold Trump accountable for his continued responses to the Khan family says a whole lot about that campaign.