Staff Reports
The White House is keeping mum on whether President Joe Biden will address the heartbreaking murder of University of Georgia student Laken Riley during his big State of the Union speech. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to spill the beans, but expressed the administration’s desire to support families who’ve lost loved ones due to such tragedies.
White House does not say if Biden will mention Laken Riley during State of the Union https://t.co/0cmHkvCaEG https://t.co/0cmHkvCaEG
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 6, 2024
In response, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) called out Biden in a letter, challenging him to publicly acknowledge Riley’s tragic fate. Banks highlighted the alleged involvement of an illegal immigrant in the murder and pressed Biden to prioritize American citizens’ safety and security in the face of escalating border-related crime.
The suspect in the case is Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant with a prior arrest for illegally crossing the border. Despite subsequent run-ins with the law, Ibarra was not deported. A reporter at the White House news briefing prodded for an answer on whether Biden would address the matter, but received no concrete response.
Jean-Pierre then shot back, pointing out the Republicans’ refusal to collaborate with the administration on border security. She emphasized that the GOP had rebuffed a bipartisan Senate proposal and suggested that genuine concern for border issues would lead to cooperation rather than criticism.
In essence, the White House’s refusal to directly answer the call to address Riley’s tragic murder in the State of the Union speech, coupled with the pushback against Republican inquiries, underscores the conservative perspective that the Biden administration overlooks the urgent need for border security and fails to prioritize the safety of American citizens.
