GOP Leaders Slam Biden’s Apology for Describing Laken Riley Murder Suspect as ‘Illegal’

The Epoch Times Header

Former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson said the president should apologize for walking back his use of the term.

Former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have sharply criticized President Joe Biden’s public apology for using the word “illegal” to refer to the man accused of Laken Riley’s murder.

During his State of the Union address last week, President Biden used the term “illegal” in reference to Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who is accused of attacking Ms. Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student, and brutally beating her to death.

“Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal,” President Biden said during the address, mispronouncing her first name.

“That’s right. But how many thousands of people are being killed by illegals? To her parents, I say, my heart goes out to you having lost children myself.”

Some progressive lawmakers reacted with outrage over the president’s use of the term “illegal” to describe Ms. Riley’s alleged killer.

“As a proud immigrant, I’m extremely disappointed to hear President Biden use the word ‘illegal,’” Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) said in a post on social media platform X.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said in a post on X: “No human being is illegal. Just like we should not be implementing Republican policy, we should not be repeating Republican rhetoric.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) posted on X, “Let me be clear: No human being is illegal.”

Amid the progressive blowback, President Biden expressed remorse for using the term, apologizing in an interview with MSNBC in Atlanta on March 10.

“I shouldn’t have used ‘illegal’; it’s ‘undocumented,’” President Biden said in the interview.

President Trump, who on the same day was campaigning in Rome, Georgia, criticized the president for the apology.

“Joe Biden went on television and apologized for calling Laken’s murderer an illegal,” President Trump said, to jeers and boos. “Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer.”

Mr. Johnson also had sharp words of criticism, as he took to X to say: “The president is cowering to his base and showing deference to a man who deserves none. This man is an illegal immigrant who brutally murdered Laken Riley.

By Tom Ozimek

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

Canada Should Become Our 51st State!

Canada is in the midst of a hostile takeover by globalists. They are implementing a destructive plan to collapse a free society from within.

A Semi-Automatic Rifle Ban or Not? In Colorado, It Depends Who You Ask

Colorado’s statute requires semiautomatic rifles and pistols to have fixed magazines that comply with the state’s ban on so-called large-capacity magazines.

Was 9/11 an Operation Northwoods Style False Flag?

Operation Northwoods was a 1961 false flag event proposal offered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in conjunction with the CIA to kill some of its own American citizens.

Pope #267 Brings Good News and Bad News

If Pope Leo doesn't undo damage done by Pope Francis, more Catholics could leave the Church, seeing it as irrelevant in not following Christ’s teachings.

Epoch Survey Finds Broad Support for Medicaid Reform–But Doubt Congress Can Deliver

Poll reveals support for reforms to Medicaid program, including work requirements and fraud reduction, with skepticism about Congress’s ability to implement changes.

News

Another Air Traffic Control Equipment Outage Impacts Flights at New Jersey’s Newark Airport

Newark Liberty Int. Airport in NJ experienced another air traffic equipment outage, causing FAA to issue a temporary ground stop for all flights bound for the airport.

Judge Allows CIA to Fire Doctor Who Helped Enforce Military COVID Mandate

The CIA maintained that Adirim was not terminated over politics but because of ’multiple complaints’ from CIA staff about her conduct in the workplace.

Trump Unveils Accelerated Deportation Drive With 20,000 More Officers, UN Agreement

Trump announced the launch of Project Homecoming, a sweeping federal initiative aimed at accelerating removal of illegal immigrants from U.S.

FDA Approves 3 Natural Color Additives Amid Push to Remove Artificial Food Coloring

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three color additives derived from natural sources for use in food products.

Supreme Court Poised to Grapple With Nationwide Injunctions on Trump’s Orders

One of the many lawsuits contesting President Donald Trump’s agenda will hit the Supreme Court for oral argument for the first time on May 15.

MTG: My Thoughts on the 2026 Senate Race

If I’m going to fight for a team, it will only be a team willing to lay it all on the line to save this country. ~ Marjorie Taylor Greene

Fed Interest Rate Cut Would be ‘Jet Fuel’ for US Economy, Trump Says

President Donald Trump says the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates would be “jet fuel” for the U.S. economy.
spot_img

Related Articles