Kayla Mueller’s parents reportedly on Mike Pence’s debate guest list
Oct 7, 2020, 12:43 PM | Updated: 1:48 pm
Carl Mueller (C) holds a photo of his daughter, Kayla, as his wife Marsha (L) looks on during the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives on February 04, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Hours after the nation learned that the Justice Department is charging two ISIS militants in connection with the death of Kayla Mueller, the Arizona aid worker’s parents will reportedly attend the vice presidential debate as guests of Mike Pence.
Axios, citing two unnamed senior administration officials, first reported that Prescott’s Carl and Marsha Mueller are on the Republican incumbent’s guest list for the event in Salt Lake City.
The Muellers previously expressed their support for President Donald Trump and the administration during an appearance at the Republican National Convention in August.
“Americans who don’t just talk — they act,” Marsha Mueller said during her convention speech. “That was our daughter. That’s President Trump. As long as we stay strong like Kayla, as long as we refuse to break, we will be great.”
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In February, the Muellers were on hand when Trump devoted a portion of his State of the Union address to tell Kayla’s story.
Kayla was working for a non-governmental organization in Turkey that supported Syrian refugees before she was taken hostage.
She was killed in 2015 after 18 months in ISIS captivity.
El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, Islamic State militants from Britain, were brought to the United States on Wednesday morning to face charges in a gruesome campaign of torture, beheadings and other acts of violence against four Americans, including Mueller, and others captured and held hostage in Syria.
A federal grand jury issued an eight-count indictment that accuses the men of being “leading participants in a brutal hostage-taking scheme” that resulted in the deaths of Western hostages.
The debate between Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s running mate, will be broadcast live by KTAR News at 92.3 FM, online or via the KTAR News app starting at 6 p.m.
The previous national debate also included a guest with Arizona ties.
Kristin Urquiza, who blames the Trump administration’s COVID-19 response for her Arizona father’s death, was a guest of Biden at the first presidential debate, which took place Sept. 29 in Cleveland.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
