Hillary Clinton’s campaign late Tuesday disavowed support from the Orlando gunman’s father, who attended one of her rallies earlier this week.
Clinton “disagrees with his views and disavows his support,” a campaign spokesperson told news outlets.
{mosads}Her campaign earlier in the day sought to play down the support from Seddique Mateen, whose son was responsible for the Pulse nightclub massacre in June that killed 49. Mateen’s controversial views on Afghan politics and homosexuality emerged after the shooting.
Mateen was spotted at a Clinton campaign rally in Kissimmee, Fla., on Monday, and he told a local TV station that the Democratic presidential nominee would be “good for the United States.”
Images of the man standing in a collared shirt and wearing a baseball cap in the crowd behind Clinton as she spoke quickly circulated around social media on Tuesday.
“The rally was a 3,000-person, open-door event for the public. This individual wasn’t invited as a guest and the campaign was unaware of his attendance until after the event,” Clinton’s campaign said Tuesday.
Donald Trump, Clinton’s GOP rival, noted during a Fox News appearance late Tuesday that Clinton “did not disavow” with her initial statement.
“If that were me, this would be a headline all over the world about Trump. But she did not, as I understand it, disavow this man, and he’s got some pretty harsh views,” Trump told Sean Hannity.