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Trump aide admits mistake in blaming Obama for 2004 Iraq war death

by Jesse Byrnes - 08/03/16 8:57 AM ET

Katrina Pierson clarifies her comments in which she seemed to blame Obama and Clinton for Capt. Khan's death. https://t.co/X0j1ElCOx6

— New Day (@NewDay) August 3, 2016

Donald Trump’s spokeswoman on Wednesday admitted she made a mistake in blaming President Obama for the 2004 death of an American Muslim soldier in Iraq.

Katrina Pierson told CNN’s “New Day” she was “absolutely” wrong to place blame on Obama for something that happened four years before he was elected president.

{mosads}Pierson told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in a Tuesday interview that Obama and Hillary Clinton were to blame for the death of Capt. Humayun Khan, saying “it was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagement that probably cost his life.”

When Khan died, Obama was an Illinois state senator, Clinton was a U.S. senator and George W. Bush was president.

Pierson on Wednesday defending casting blame away from Trump for the Iraq War.

“Since then, we have had tens of thousands of soldiers that have been lost, 1 million wounded, $6 trillion later. How can we possibly put any of the onus on Donald Trump?” she asked, calling it “absurd.”

Trump’s campaign has been pushing back since Khan’s father, Khizr Khan, spoke at last week’s Democratic National Convention, criticizing Trump’s rhetoric. The businessman and his surrogates have repeatedly slammed Khan over his remarks.

Asked if she wanted to apologize to Khan, Pierson said Wednesday, “Apologize for the timeline.”

“What I was talking about was the fact that Donald Trump has no connection to anything having to do with Capt. Khan,” she said.

“The timeline is very simply and true: Hillary Clinton voted for the war in Iraq.”

Khan, interviewed CNN on Tuesday night regarding Pierson’s remarks earlier that day, called on Trump backers to show “decency” and stop supporting him.

“Do I need to say anything?” Khan asked. “I would again appeal to his surrogates: Please show some decency.”

Tags Barack Obama CNN Donald Trump Hillary Clinton Katrina Pierson