- The Washington Times - Friday, August 24, 2018

Conservative star Candace Owens got into a Twitter fight with a member of Mollie Tibbetts’ family this week as politicians and pundits take stands on the murder allegedly committed by an illegal immigrant.

Sam Lucas, confirmed by CNN to be a cousin of Ms. Tibbetts, slammed Ms. Owens after she tweeted that Democrats defended immigrants over American citizens.

“Now stop being a f—ing snake and using my cousin’s death as political propaganda,” Ms. Lucas wrote, “Take her name out of your mouth.”

Ms. Owens fired back at Ms. Lucas and criticized her for insulting “people who support the president” but not the murder suspect.

Ms. Lucas said she, “had nothing but evil thoughts about this man” but insisted that not all immigrants who illegally cross the border should be framed in the same way.

Police on Tuesday charged Cristhian Rivera with first-degree murder after he led them to the body. Homeland Security confirmed with local authorities that he was in the country illegally.

The revelation sparked a surge of political commentary from both sides of the aisle about illegal immigration. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, responded with a focus on family separation, while President Trump touted the work of ICE this week in response to the news.

Wednesday, Axios reported that former House speaker Newt Gingrich emailed them to ensure the Tibbetts murder would get coverage.

“If Mollie Tibbetts is a household name by October, Democrats will be in deep trouble. If we can be blocked by Manafort-Cohen, etc., then GOP could lose [the House] badly,” Mr. Gingrich wrote.

After the Twitter fight, Ms. Lucas said her opinion didn’t necessarily reflect the sentiments of the entire family, but argued that Tibbetts’ loved ones “should be able to grieve without politics.”

• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.

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