The father of a Navy SEAL killed in the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack endorsed Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Charles Woods, the father of fallen Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, pledged his support for Trump in a statement that emphasized the Republican presidential nominee’s strength on national security.
{mosads}“I support Donald Trump, and the main reason is national security as well as the economy are the two most important issues that voters are going to have to decide upon next November,” Woods said.
“Hillary Clinton’s poor judgment led to these tragic deaths in Libya,” the statement said. “First, her reckless decision to invade Libya unleashed radical Islamic terror groups that threatened Americans. Compounded with her failure to provide the necessary security upgrades and reinforcements cost four Americans their lives.
“After it all, she lied to the world about what happened to cover up the role of Radical Islam. We could have known more about her actions, but she illegally stored and then deleted 33,000 emails,” Woods concluded, referring to emails Clinton sent through a private server while at State.
Woods is the second parent of a Benghazi victim to speak up for Trump and against Clinton on the campaign trail. Patricia Smith spoke at the Republican National Convention and has also appeared on television to defend Trump.
The statement from Woods comes as Trump looks to parry criticism over his comments about Khizr and Gazala Khan, the parents of a Muslim U.S. soldier killed in Iraq. Khizr Khan spoke at the Democratic National Convention, where he questioned Trump’s understanding of the Constitution.