Rob Tibbetts, whose daughter Mollie Tibbetts was murdered in July, took aim on Saturday, September 1, at Donald Trump Jr. and others who are using her death to promote their own political agenda.
The 20-year-old Iowa college student disappeared during an evening jog in Brooklyn, Iowa, and after her body was found a month later, authorities identified the suspect in her killing as an undocumented immigrant, prompting a wave of anti-immigrant rhetoric.
In an op-ed for the Des Moines Register on Saturday, Rob wrote that he encouraged the debate on immigration, but added, “do not appropriate Mollie’s soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist.”
Several politicians and commentators have used Mollie’s death to push an anti-immigrant agenda, but Rob wrote that while some have stopped at the family’s request, others have “chosen instead to callously distort and corrupt Mollie’s tragic death to advance a cause she vehemently opposed.”
“The act grievously extends the crime that stole Mollie from our family and is, to quote Donald Trump Jr. ‘heartless’ and ‘despicable,'” he continued, using words that the businessman had written in his own op-ed published in the same paper on Friday, August 31, to describe the Democratic response to Mollie’s death. Trump Jr. added that Mollie’s death was “a casualty of the left’s love for open borders.”
“The person who is accused of taking Mollie’s life is no more a reflection of the Hispanic community as white supremacists are of all white people,” Rob wrote on Saturday. “To suggest otherwise is a lie. Justice in my America is blind. This person will receive a fair trial, as it should be. If convicted, he will face the consequences society has set. Beyond that, he deserves no more attention.”
Referencing the late Senator John McCain, he added that he believed that the war hero and his daughter “were good people” and he knew “that both would stand up now and do something.”
After Mollie’s body was discovered, President Donald Trump posted a video about her on August 23, saying, “We need the wall. We need our immigration laws changed.” He also referenced her when discussing his anti-immigration views at a rally in West Virginia.
“Let’s turn against racism in all its ugly manifestations both subtle and overt,” Rob wrote. “Let’s turn toward each other with all the compassion we gave Mollie. Let’s listen, not shout. Let’s build bridges, not walls. Let’s celebrate our diversity rather than argue over our differences.”
As previously reported, Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, was charged with first-degree murder. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated that he is an illegal alien from Mexico, but Rivera’s lawyer claimed in court documents that he was in the U.S. legally. He is being held on a $5 million cash bond.
