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.
“[Clinton] disagrees with his views and disavows his support,” Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill said late Tuesday night.
Earlier in the day, the campaign downplayed Mateen’s attendance.
“The rally was a 3,000-person, open-door event for the public,” officials said. “This individual wasn’t invited as a guest and the campaign was unaware of his attendance until after the event.”
Mateen stood directly behind Hillary Clinton during her rally in Kissimmee, about 20 miles from Orlando, where his son murdered 49 people at a gay nightclub in June. The elder Mateen has previously expressed support for the Taliban.
After the event, Mateen told a local Florida news station that Clinton would be “good for United States,” and touted a large yellow banner praising her for her positions on gun control and national security.
He did not see his presence at the rally as a problem.
“Why they should be surprised? I love United States, and I’ve been living here for long time,” he said. “It’s a Democratic party, so everybody can join.”
A number of Florida democrats declined to comment on Mateen’s attendance Tuesday. Mayor of Orlando Buddy Dyer told TWS he was not involved in the rally “in any way.”
