Ex-GOP lawmaker blasts Trump PAC for fundraising off dead soldiers

Earlier this week, the Trump administration came under fire after it was revealed that a fundraising email had used images from the dignified transfer of six American soldiers killed during operations relating to the war in Iran. Today, speaking to MSNOW, former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent had strong words for the administration, calling the use of the photos “inappropriate” and “disrespectful.”

The email – distributed by Never Surrender, Inc. – includes a photo of Trump saluting a flag-draped casket during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. A solemn tradition that involves paying homage to fallen US service members, criticisms from Democrats came fast once it was revealed the photo had been used for financial gain.

“Donald Trump is fundraising off of dead soldiers,” declared California Governor Gavin Newsom in a social media post. “He is a deeply SICK and DISGUSTING MAN!”

Now Charlie Dent – who during his tenure in Congress served on committees relating to veteran affairs and ethics – offers a rare Republican criticism of Trump, calling the use of the photo “wildly inappropriate.”

“It’s disrespectful to the families of the fallen of those service members who gave that last full measure of devotion,” said Dent. “It is clearly beyond the pale that they would use those images in a fundraising solicitation…The president should have immediately disavowed it, whether he knew about it or not. But it's not the first time that either the president, someone in the administration, or his allies outside have crossed lines that none of us thought would be crossed before…This was bad taste. It was disrespectful. It was inappropriate.”

Another aspect of the email that drew criticism: it included the promise of access to the president’s “private national security briefings.”

“That would be illegal, and people get to go to jail for that one,” said Dent. “This is another thing that I think does cross the line. It's inappropriate…People are paying for access to things that maybe they shouldn't have access to. That's what I think troubles me more about this one. Not a lot of judgment exercised before sending out this email.”