Gold Star father Khizr Khan, who traded barbs with President Donald Trump in last year's presidential campaign, is criticizing the administration's handling of the deaths of four service members in Niger.
Khan says White House chief of staff John Kelly and other close aides should have done more to ensure the president practiced "dignity" and "restraint" in speaking with family members because "he's void of both."
Khan also says it was important for him to view his son's body. The widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four service members killed Oct. 4, has said her repeated request to see her husband's body was denied.
Khan told MSNBC's "Morning Joe:" "She was deprived of that dignity as well. We owe tremendous respect, restraint and dignity to this wonderful lady."
President Donald Trump's feud over a condolence call to a fallen soldier keeps dragging on. Now, he is defending his call to the widow, saying he was "respectful" and did not forget the slain soldier's name.
Trump addressed the call on Twitter Monday after Myeshia Johnson, La David Johnson's widow, appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America." She said that in Trump's call to her last week he "couldn't remember my husband's name."
Johnson added: "The only way he could remember my husband's name was he told me he had my husband's report in front of him and that's when he actually said La David."
Johnson and three comrades died Oct. 4 in Africa in an attack.