The White House has declined to say whether President Joe Biden will address the killing of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia. This murder is believed to have been the work of an illegal immigrant released to the United States by the Department of Homeland Security. Security (DHS).
This week, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who is running for the U.S. Senate, called on Biden to mention Laken Riley by name in his State of the Union address.
“We now have a great opportunity to honor Laken Riley’s mother’s wishes by breaking the silence and saying her name at the State of the Union, scheduled for Thursday, March 7, 2024.” Banks wrote to Biden.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether Biden would mention Riley’s killing in his SOTU speech.
Peter Doocy:Will President Biden speak publicly about Laken Riley’s murder?Thursday night, allegedly at the hands of illegal immigrants who have been released multiple times by law enforcement? I know he made a statement, but what will happen in the State of the Union? [Emphasis added]
Karine Jean-Pierre: Look…this is a very tragic story and obviously a situation. This is someone’s life lost and I will always acknowledge that and extend my deepest condolences to her family, friends and those who loved her. We always like to say that because it’s such a tragic thing. I have nothing to share about the President’s speech as it relates to the specific questions you have. However, we always want to do something like this to encourage families who have lost a loved one.I repeat…the president is just [at the border] with the present [Border Patrol] chief. The president went to the border, obviously to Brownsville, Texas, and talked about the importance of doing something at the border, doing something at the border. [Emphasis added]
Q: Will Biden publicly address the murder of Laken Riley in his State of the Union address?
Karine Jean-Pierre: “I have nothing to share” pic.twitter.com/3pFQdTy7lg
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 5, 2024
Biden has already dodged questions about Riley’s murder.
Last week, during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas, a reporter asked Mr. Biden, “Who is Mr. Biden?” Mr. President, are you responsible for Laken Riley’s death? ” Biden did not acknowledge the question or respond.
On February 22nd, Riley went for a morning jog around the University of Georgia (UGA) campus in Athens. Riley was a nursing student at nearby Augusta University.
Riley didn’t return for several hours, so her roommate called the police. Her body was found several hours later, badly disfigured, near Herrick Lake on the UGA campus. On February 23, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was charged with murder.
After crossing the border, Ybarra was released into the interior of the United States in September 2022 thanks to Biden’s parole pipeline. He was arrested in the sanctuary cities of New York City and Athens in 2023 before Riley’s murder, but was never extradited. He became an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.
At the time of Riley’s murder, Ybarra was living in an apartment complex near the UGA campus. Riley often used the complex’s parking lot as a shortcut route for his morning jogs.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Please email jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
