Newt Gingrich said the murder of Mollie Tibbetts would help Republicans in the midterms, as investigations into her murder reveal she was allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant.
Axios reported Wednesday that the former Speaker of the House emailed them to make sure there was coverage of the murder.
“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. Gringrich wrote.
Authorities arrested Cristhian Rivera on Tuesday and charged him with first-degree murder after he led police to Ms. Tibbetts body. Homeland Security confirmed with local officials that Mr. Rivera was not in the country legally.
An initial autopsy conducted on Ms. Tibbetts’ body Thursday revealed she died after suffering multiple “sharp force” injuries.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have touted their takes on immigration laws in response to the revelations in the Tibbetts case.
On Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren expressed her condolences to the Tibet’s family but emphasized the need to fix family separation laws.
“I’m so sorry for the family here,” she said. “But one of the things we need to remember here is that we need an immigration system that is effective. That focuses on where real problems are.”
During an interview with Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt, President Trump said the situation highlighted the need for ICE.
“Mollie [was] a beautiful young girl,” Mr. Trump said, “She was killed by a horrible person who came in from Mexico, illegally here. Found by ICE, our great ICE…Without them, you might not be sitting here so comfortably.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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