Hillary Clinton might be the presidential candidate of choice for the father of the man responsible for the worst mass shooting in modern American history, but that doesn’t mean the Democratic nominee wants Seddique Mateen’s support.
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Her speech was mostly focused on employment, but she also paid tribute to the people killed by Omar Mateen in the gay nightclub.
On Tuesday, following an event she held in Miami, a reporter asked Clinton why Orlando terrorist Omar Mateen’s father was in a prominent location behind her at the event. “I don’t know. I don’t see anything surprising”, he said.
The event was promoted on Clinton’s presidential campaign website with an open call for all supporters to attend the rally at Osceola Heritage Park Exhibition Hall. “It’s a Democratic party, so everybody can join”.
Clinton said at the rally that she knows many family members and friends are still grieving for the victims and promised to be there for them as their rebuild their lives. He added: “And I would say the co-founder is crooked Hillary Clinton”.
But Ceballo came as a “plus one” with Hansen, who was contacted by whom he presumes was someone from the Clinton campaign and invited to the rally.
In one video reported on by Time, Mateen allegedly credits the Taliban for uniting Pashtun people living across the disputed border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, a divider known as the Durand Line.
NBC affiliate WPTV spotted Seddique Mateen at the Kissimmee, Florida rally.
Adding to the weird appearance is the father’s own background, as someone who has voiced support for the Taliban and at one point declared himself the leader of a “transitional” Afghanistan government.
Clinton spent Tuesday mainly dodging questions related to Mateen’s appearance at her Monday rally in Kissimmee.
Hillary’s camp later denied Matteen had been invited to the rally but refused to disavow his glowing endorsement.
He said: “We’ve been cooperating with the federal government, and that’s about it. Thank you”.
“Why they should be surprised?” he asked.
Seddique Mateen could be seen in the crowd steps away from Clinton as she paid tribute to the victims his son, Omar, killed in the worst mass shooting in modern US history.
Seddique Mateen, a self-professed devout Muslim, also condemned homosexuality.
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But Ceballo is questioning that message, wondering how the Clinton campaign didn’t notice that Mateen’s father was allowed to be right there, in the center of the crowd behind the podium which Clinton stood and addressed Pulse.
