Hillary Clinton discussed the Orlando nightclub massacre and gun control measures she wants to pursue in the White House on Monday with the father of the Orlando killer seated behind her in the audience.
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The former governor of Alaska and 2008 vice presidential running mate of John McCain added, “How could security allow him to get THIS close to her?”
Mateen’s presence was first noted by WPTV reporter Tory Dunnan, who was initially rebuffed for an interview but then was surprised to find Mateen holding a pro-Clinton sign and asking to talk to press.
Clinton’s opponent, Republican nominee Donald Trump, blamed the June 12 massacre on America’s “immigration system” which he claims is too lax, ignoring that the shooter, Omar Mateen, was born in NY and was an American citizen.
The father of the man who killed 49 people at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, attended Monday a rally of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, according to photographs taken from the event.
Manson’s victims included Sharon Tate, the pregnant actress-wife of film director Roman Polanski, and hairstylist-to-the-stars Jay Sebring.
Asked whether Clinton knew that he would be sitting directly behind her, Seddique Mateen brushed off the question.
Mateen is an outspoken critic of Pakistan and Afghanistan and expressed support for the Taliban in the past. Wearing a bright red baseball cap, the elder Mateen didn’t appear fazed when Clinton referenced the June 12 shooting in her speech, a clip of which can be viewed above.
“I don’t approve of what he did”, Mateen told CBS. “We can’t ever let that kind of hatred and violence break the spirit and break the soul of any place in America”, she said. “I love the United States, and I’ve been living here a long time”, he said.
“I spoke a lot about that and wish that my son joined the Army and fought ISIS. That would be much better”.
Seddique Mateen, a self-professed devout Muslim, also condemned homosexuality.
The rally was open to the public and about 3,000 people attended.
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The Clinton campaign did not respond to a request from the New York Post asking whether it accepted Mateen’s endorsement.
