Hillary Clinton has disavowed the support of Seddique Mateen, father of Orlando gunman Omar Mateen, a full day after he was spotted at a Clinton campaign event in Florida.
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During her speech, Clinton paid tribute to those affected by the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Many campaigns reserve such conspicuous seating for VIPs or as a reward to campaign volunteers, but the Clinton campaign said it didn’t know Mateen was attending.
“Why they should be surprised?” he asked.
After the rally, Mateen, who wore a red cap to the event, told NBC West Palm Beach-affiliate WPTV that he supports Clinton.
“I was invited by the Democratic Party”, Mateen told reporter Tory Dunnan. “I wish my son joined the Army and fought ISIS and destroyed ISIS, that would be much better”.
Seddique Mateen has some strong views on LGBT issues, noting in a video following his son’s rampage that “God will punish those involved in homosexuality”.
Before shooting and killing 49 people at a gay nightclub, Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and identified himself as an “Islamic soldier” in multiple 911 calls to police.
“I wouldn’t expect to have those many hits on those many people if you weren’t actually trying to take aim and make sure you hit your target rather than running around, spraying bullets”, said Wright, who also has no connection to the case. Seddique Mateen was front and center at the event, and the Clinton campaign was reportedly unaware who he was at the time.
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. Mateen defended his decision to attend the rally, noting that his family was cooperating with federal investigators.
Should the Clinton campaign have distanced itself from Mateen the way it did?
When asked how he felt when Clinton mentioned the Pulse massacre, Mateen said he thought about what his son could have been and done, not what he did.
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The elder Mateen’s presence might have not been so bad if he had been contrite and had expressed horror as to what happened.
