The grieving mother of Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student, criticized President Biden for mispronouncing her daughter’s name during his State of the Union address, deeming it “pathetic.” “Biden does not even KNOW my child’s name – it [sic] pathetic!” Allyson Philips expressed on Facebook in response to a post celebrating the passage of the Laken Riley Act. Asserting the importance of correctly addressing her daughter, Philips emphasized, “If you are going to say her name (even when forced to do so) at least say the right name!”
In another comment, Philips echoed “Amen!” in agreement with a remark labeling Biden as “a disgrace of a president.” During his speech on Thursday evening, Biden, 81, mistakenly referred to the 22-year-old nursing student, who was tragically murdered on the University of Georgia campus, as “Lincoln Riley.” The President mentioned Riley when prompted by Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.), who shouted from the audience, “Say her name!”
Responding to Greene’s prompt, Biden acknowledged, “I know how to say her name,” before continuing, “Lincoln — Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.” The primary suspect in Riley’s homicide, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra, hails from Venezuela and has ties to the Tren de Aragua gang. Ibarra and his older brother, Diego, were at large in the Athens, Ga., area despite their affiliations with the deadly gang.
Biden expressed condolences to Riley’s parents, acknowledging their grief and drawing on his own experience of losing children. The President’s own personal tragedies include the loss of his infant daughter, Naomi, in a 1972 car accident, and his son, Beau, who passed away from brain cancer in 2015. However, Biden’s use of the term “illegal” to describe Ibarra received criticism, as the suspect was legally allowed to be in the country under parole, a policy endorsed by Biden’s administration.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested using the term “undocumented” instead, highlighting the sensitivity of language surrounding immigration issues. When confronted about his choice of words, Biden struggled to justify his terminology during an exchange at Joint Base Andrews. Furthermore, Riley’s parents declined an invitation to attend the State of the Union address from GOP Rep. Mike Collins, who reserved a seat in honor of Riley and other victims of crimes committed by individuals residing in the country illegally.
In addition to her vocal critique, Philips endorsed a post characterizing Riley’s death as “avoidable” but exacerbated by current immigration policies that facilitate the influx of criminals into the United States.
{Matzav.com}