January 1, CNN Retracts Accusations: Senator Britt’s SOTU Rebuttal Unveiled

CNN recently had to correct its reporting this week, which sought to discredit a portion of Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt’s State of the Union rebuttal. In her rebuttal, Britt shared the distressing account of an anonymous victim of sex trafficking to underscore the ongoing impact of the border crisis.

The victim was later identified as Karla Jacinto, who endured extreme brutality from ages 12 to 16 at the hands of traffickers in Mexico, a story that Britt detailed in her rebuttal.

Over the weekend, CNN introduced Jacinto to its audience with an appearance on the network and in a subsequent story. In this story, the network made several claims trying to undermine Britt’s portrayal of the story. However, these claims starkly contradicted past reporting on Jacinto, as well as Jacinto’s own statements.

In the piece that followed the weekend interview with Jacinto, CNN claimed that Britt inaccurately claimed she had a one-on-one meeting with Jacinto. However, Britt never made such a claim in her rebuttal. Instead, she merely stated that she “spoke” with Jacinto while traveling to the border in Texas.

When confronted about the inaccuracy, CNN stated that it had updated the piece to reflect that it was Jacinto’s perception that Britt claimed the two had a one-on-one meeting, not the outlet’s. “CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to clarify the circumstances of Britt’s meeting with Jacinto,” a note at the bottom of the story now states.

CNN also portrayed Britt as wrongly claiming that Jacinto was trafficked by Mexican drug cartels. However, the senator never mentioned “drug cartels” during her rebuttal. Instead, she specifically referred to “cartels,” indicating organized crime along the border, similar to how Jacinto had previously characterized her traffickers as a “crime organization” during her testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in May 2015.

During the hearing, Jacinto referred to a “pimp, or the crime organization” that she said had taken her 1-year-old daughter from her so she could continue her work for them. A report from later that year also detailed how Jacinto’s pimp, who was described as her boyfriend, was “working as part of an international organized crime ring, and he forced her into a life of prostitution and violence.”

Jacinto has also referred to the criminal organization as an organized crime “family.”

Jacinto has spoken about being trafficked on several other occasions, including during a roundtable discussion with Britt, as well as Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., in January 2023. During this discussion, she said she was almost trafficked to the U.S. at the age of 14.

After the meeting, Hyde-Smith stated, “We had the opportunity to meet with a young lady. Her name was Karla. She was under control of a drug cartel and a human trafficker from the age 12 to 16, before she was able to escape that.”

When approached about the inaccuracy, CNN disagreed that their portrayal was inaccurate.

Furthermore, CNN itself reported in September 2017 that Jacinto, “by her own estimate,” was raped 43,200 times “after falling into the hands of human traffickers.”

We have reached out to Jacinto for comment. Reintegra, an advocacy group that works with Jacinto, responded to a request for comment on her behalf, telling us that she “was not pressured or coerced nor did she alter her story in any way.”

The group added that her story “has been consistent through the years,” and the CNN reporter who wrote the story was “very reputable and trustworthy.”

“Ms. Jacinto has made it clear that she does not wish to be a pawn in political discussions around immigration policies or other political issues. Her focus is to help open peoples’ eyes and let the world know about the evils of human trafficking. She understands that people are [on] both sides of the political aisle can and must be united in this fight for the sake of vulnerable people,” the organization said.

Despite Britt not using Jacinto’s name, the organization suggested the senator needed her permission to use her story during the rebuttal, and called for her to apologize.

“We invite Senator Britt and all who care about vulnerable people to join us in working together in a bipartisan, multinational way to help provide safe, migration and resettlement opportunities to help prevent this issue. We believe that we can’t fight this common enemy if we are instead fighting across party or racial divides. We ask all to reject language that dehumanizes those seeking asylum and treat others in a dignified, humane way as we work as one to make this world a better place,” they added.

Republicans rallied around Britt this week, accusing the media of undertaking a “smear” campaign against her.

“Joe Biden’s policies have been a gift to the cartels that are engaged in horrific sex trafficking and bringing fentanyl to the U. S. Katie Britt is absolutely right and that’s why the media is attacking her. They want to smear any conservative who speaks out,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote in a Monday post.

Cotton was echoed by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who wrote, “The media is targeting Senator Katie Britt because she’s a strong conservative who told the truth about open border policies. And Katie is exactly right: these border policies have been a disaster for the American people.”

Britt also responded to the media’s apparent blitz against her, telling us, “It’s past time for the media to stop covering for Joe Biden’s re-election campaign and start talking about the immense, very real human suffering that’s occurring right now.”

“The cartels are making record-shattering profits from human trafficking. Historic numbers of migrants are dying at the border. And between brutal murders and fentanyl poisonings, far too many Americans are being killed. That’s the story the media doesn’t want to tell — and now they’re trying to silence me for telling it,” she added.

Britt, long considered a rising star within the Republican Party, has been rumored as a potential vice presidential running mate for former President Donald Trump in the general election this November.

As our loyal readers, we encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions on this issue. Let your voice be heard and join the discussion below.

Source