Petitioners Want Marco Rubio to Disavow Donald Trump

TAMPA, FL — As controversy continues to swirl around Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s highly publicized dispute with a Gold Star family, thousands of people are calling on GOP leaders to disavow the New York businessman’s run for the White House.

Armed with a petition containing more than 110,000 signatures, Army veteran Dessia Laxton-Reinke and others plan to pay a visit to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s Tampa office Thursday. The reason for the visit is to attempt to convince the Florida senator to denounce his party’s pick for president.

The petition centers on outrage sparked by the dispute that erupted between Trump and the family of Humayun Khan, a U.S. soldier who died in Iraq. Khan’s father, Khizr, was one of the speakers at the recent Democratic National Convention. In his DNC speech, Khizr Khan questioned whether Trump had even read the Constitution, pulling out a pocket-sized copy of the book from his suit jacket.

“In this document look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection of law,'” he said.

The appearance sparked an ongoing dispute between Trump and the Khan family. It has also raised the ire of many who say Trump’s plans to stop allowing Muslims into the country and his attacks on the Khan family go too far.

“Like Captain Khan, I took an oath to support and protect the Constitution of the United States which upholds freedom of religion," Laxton-Reinke, a former Army sergeant first class, said in a statement. “That oath, like the Constitution itself, does not have an expiration date. Donald Trump can never embody our nation’s values. He is not what makes America great. He must never be President of the United States or commander-in-chief of our armed services.”

The petition being presented to Rubio includes 6,000 signatures from Florida residents. The drive was created by MoveOn.org to specifically address U.S. Sens. John McCain and Mitch McConnell and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan. It also addresses “all GOP leaders.”

Rubio’s relationship with Trump has been tenuous at best. During his run for the Republican nomination, the two engaged in rather heated, and sometimes comical battles. Trump called him “Little Marco;” Rubio mocked the size of Trump’s hands.

With Rubio now out of that race and focusing on his own Senate re-election campaign in Florida, he has said he will support his party’s choice for president. Even so, he was recently quoted in the press as saying he stands by everything he said in his campaign, including calling Trump a “con artist.”

Whether the petition will convince Rubio to disavow Trump remains to be seen. Rubio reportedly has plans to campaign with Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana when the vice presidential hopeful visits the Sunshine State.

To find out more about the petition,visit MoveOn.org online.

Photo from Marco Rubio's Facebook page