Yesterday during a candidate forum in the Khan's Congressional District (VA-05), Republican candidate Tom Garrett brushed off Trump's attacks on the Khan family and then went on to say, "I think Donald Trump is a smart man" when directly asked about the comments.

Virginia's 5th Congressional District is home to Gold Star Parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan who courageously shared their story about losing their son in Iraq, only to be attacked by Donald Trump.

"Virginians need someone who will stand up to Donald Trump - not Republican Tom Garrett, who called him 'a smart man' when directly asked about Trump's attacks on the Khan family, who he wants to represent in Congress," said Emily Bolton of the Democratic Party of Virginia. "Garrett is a far-right Republican who's all in for Trump - even when his standard bearer attacks the same people he claims to be fighting for."

VIDEO FOOTAGE CAN BE FOUND HERE

BACKGROUND:

Transcript:

MODERATOR: What is your reaction to Donald Trump's criticism of the Khan family - the local Gold Star family - whose son was killed protecting all of us?

GARRETT: "To the extent he criticized the family, that's not good ... I think Donald Trump is a smart man who sometimes picks dumb words."

According to a report from the Daily Progress: "Some audience members audibly disagreed with Garrett at times during his full answer, and some held up pocket-sized copies of the Constitution, a gesture Khizr Khan made famous at the DNC when he asked Trump if he had ever read the Constitution."