Mateen’s father, Seddique, was positioned behind Clinton as she spoke at the event.
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Normally, the people who stand behind a candidate at such rallies are selected by the local political organisation and Mateen himself told a local TV station: “I was invited by the Democratic Party”.
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.
“Why the surprise? I love the United States of America and I have been living here for a long time”, said Mateen Seddique, from Afghanistan, to the local channel WPTV.
Mateen has rebuked the actions of his son in multiple interviews.
Mateen told news outlets after the rally that he loves “the United States”. The father says his family has been co-operating with investigators.
Hillary Clinton’s latest endorsement is from the pro-Taliban, anti-homosexual father of Omar Sateen, the Orlando shooter who murdered 49 Americans.
Clinton, on a trip through the crucial swing state, opened her speech with a tribute to the 49 people who lost their lives in Orlando.
You know, for once we don’t doubt that Clinton’s campaign is telling the truth … but imagine for a moment that a character like this showed up at a Donald Trump rally?
He said: “We’ve been cooperating with the federal government, and that’s about it. Thank you”.
The Clinton campaign responded and said they didn’t know Seddique Mateen was at the event until afterwards.
He added that he “wished” his killer son, who was shot dead by police inside the nightclub, had joined the army to fight Isis.
The dark profile of Seddique Mateen was emphasized by many media including the Washington Post.
Clinton’s campaign moved quickly to distance itself from the controversial guest, who has publicly praised “our warrior brothers in (the) Taliban movement” on a television program he produces.
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“This individual wasn’t invited as a guest and the campaign was unaware of his attendance until after the event”, the statement read.
