News and Analysis

WATCH: ABC Reporter Twists Himself Into Pretzels Trying To Blame Trump For Laken Riley

"This death of Laken Riley and the subsequent trial has essentially been a massive political lightning rod."

   DailyWire.com
Supporters of former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump hold images of Laken Riley before he speaks at a "Get Out the Vote" rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. Riley, a nursing student, has become the face of immigration reform after her murder allegedly by an illegal immigrant on February 22, 2024. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP) (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images

The illegal immigrant who killed Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday, but it wasn’t long before an ABC News reporter was in front of a camera claiming that President-elect Donald Trump was the real problem.

ABC’s Ike Ejiochi reported on the conviction of Jose Ibarra, who came into the United States illegally in 2022 and was paroled into the country under President Joe Biden’s lax immigration policies. Referring to the violent murder as a “political lightning rod,” he immediately pivoted to accuse Trump of using Riley’s death for his own personal political gain.

WATCH:

“This death of Laken Riley and the subsequent trial has essentially been a massive political lightning rod here in this country,” he began, adding, “The president-elect campaigning on the death of Laken Riley and pointing to the current administration, saying that their laws and what they’re calling ‘failed policies’ contributed to Laken Riley’s death.”

MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+

Ejiochi went on to lay out the facts — namely that he entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was paroled, after which he was arrested in New York in 2023 and released — but instead of drawing a connection to the Biden border policies that allowed his parole or the fact that New York is a sanctuary city, he pivoted back to Trump yet again.

“It’s important to note that although there is very little evidence indicating a connection between immigration and violent crime, this is still something the — uh — President-elect Trump, several Republicans on the Hill, wanted to essentially plant their flag on and point that to the current Biden administration,” he continued, going on to criticize Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for calling Biden out directly during his last State of the Union address. At the time, Biden responded by mispronouncing Riley’s name while attempting to acknowledge her tragic murder at the hands of an illegal immigrant — and later apologized for using the term “illegal.”

Ejiochi concluded by claiming that Trump had been instrumental in helping to “essentially tank” the bipartisan border bill — which, despite some claims to the contrary, would not have secured the border.

Create a free account to join the conversation!

Already have an account?

Log in

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
Download Daily Wire Plus

Don't miss anything

Download our App

Stay up-to-date on the latest
news, podcasts, and more.

Download on the app storeGet it on Google Play
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  WATCH: ABC Reporter Twists Himself Into Pretzels Trying To Blame Trump For Laken Riley