(Washington, DC) – House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized President Biden for what he perceived as an inappropriate apology during an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart. Johnson accused the president of prioritizing political considerations over the grieving family of Laken Riley, a nursing student murdered last month. The controversy stems from Biden’s off-script remarks during his State of the Union address, where, at the urging of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, he referred to Riley’s accused killer, Jose Ibarra, as an “illegal.” Biden later backtracked in his interview with Capehart, expressing regret for not using the term “undocumented” instead.
The accused, Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national, had entered the U.S. illegally near El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, as confirmed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Subsequent encounters with the law included an arrest and release in New York City for endangering a child around a year later, and citations for shoplifting in Georgia in October 2023, months before Riley’s tragic murder. Ibarra faces multiple charges, including malice murder, murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, concealing the death of another, and physically hindering a 911 call. President Biden, in the aftermath of his initial remarks, clarified his stance to Capehart, emphasizing the importance of respectful language and expressing his commitment not to treat any individuals disrespectfully, acknowledging their role in building the country.
