Media

NYT: Trump ‘Seizes’ On Mollie Tibbetts Murder

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Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
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The New York Times accused President Donald Trump of “seizing” on the murder of 20-year-old Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts at a rally on Tuesday night.

Tibbetts went missing a little over a month ago and was found deceased on Tuesday. The suspect, illegal immigrant Cristhian Rivera, led authorities to her body and said he was the one who abducted and killed her after seeing her running on the side of the road. (RELATED: Illegal Immigrant Charged With Murder Of Iowa College Student) 

Trump, who has repeatedly expressed a need for increased border security and deportation efforts to prevent illegal immigrant crime, briefly talked about Tibbetts during a rally in West Virginia.

A New York Times headline about Trump’s comments said he was “seizing” on her death, seeming to suggest he was unfairly politicizing the tragedy.

“After an Immigrant’s Arrest, Trump Seizes on Killing of Mollie Tibbetts, Iowa Student,” NYT wrote. 

“You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico, and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman,” Trump said during his rally. “It should’ve never happened. Illegally in our country. We’ve had a huge impact, but the laws are so bad, the immigration laws are such a disgrace.”

The NYT did not mention until the 22nd paragraph that Tibbetts’ family had a prior relationship with the administration. Vice President Mike Pence talked to Tibbetts’ father for 20 minutes last week, well before it was known that an illegal immigrant was a suspect in the young woman’s murder.

UPDATE (12:45 PM): 

The NYT updated the headline of the piece without informing readers. The new headline reads, “Immigrant Is Charged in Mollie Tibbetts Murder in Iowa, and Trump Seizes on Case.” 

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