Tuesday’s White House press briefing featured a question from WTTG Fox 5’s Ronica Cleary that went against the liberal media’s narratives of the day, asking press secretary Sean Spicer about the alleged brutal rape of a high school student outside Washington D.C. by an illegal immigrant.
As far as we can tell, no network or cable news coverage has been given to the rape that occurred last week at Rockville High School in Montgomery County, Maryland since it’s an inconvenient story for their liberal narrative (see Kate Steinele, Sarah Root, Drew Rosenberg, etc.).
Just under 20 minutes in, WTTG’s Cleary asked Spicer for comment on the horrifying crime and if school districts should examine policies about admitting illegal immigrants:
Recently, a 14-year-old girl — she was raped in the boy's bathroom of her high school. A 17 and 18-year-old boy have been charged, one of the boys, you know, unlawfully entered the country, both have outstanding orders with ICE. So, here’s my first question about it. Currently, schools are prohibited from denying access to public education based on immigration status. Does the President hear a story like that and think that it should be change or be addressed in a future executive order?
Spicer began by stating how “this is a tragic event” that’s “horrendous and horrible and disgusting what this young woman in Rockville went through.”
“I can't possibly imagine, so first of all, let's remember the human side of this that this is a tragic event that no child, no person, no parent should ever have to deal with. School should be a place where a parent puts their child on a bus or drops them off or sees them off and knows that they're safe,” he added.
Turning shortly thereafter to the policy, he ruled that such a “troubling” crime “is not who we are as a country”:
I think that it is cause for concern, I think the city should look at its policies and I think that this is something that authorities are going to have to look at. I think from an immigration standpoint, clearly to see somebody — there are so many facets of this case that deserve question. Why was there — I think he was 17 or 18 years old — 18, thank you and how does that person get put into the ninth grade? Why was there — I mean, there so many issues that come up in this case. I will leave it to authorities to get through, but we are in the early stages and there's a lot to get addressed with respect to this case in particular.
Cleary followed up by invoking a Trump administration initiative for Americans who have been victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants: “I hear about it being a state issue, let's talk about something that the President has implemented and introduced VOICE. Is VOICE — Victims Of Immigration Crime Enforcement — is that enough?”
Spicer responded that one such “reason the President has made illegal immigration and crack down such a big deal is because of tragedies like this” and why President Trump’s “passionate about this because people are victims of these crimes in terms of them they're victims the economic piece, there’s a national security piece, but immigration plays its toll on our people if it’s not done legally.”
The President commented generally on these types of crimes during a Monday rally in Kentucky. In a piece for our sister site CNSNews.com, Craig Bannister ran this quote from Trump:
During the campaign, as I've traveled all across this great country, I met with many American families whose loved ones, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, were viciously killed by illegal immigrants. Incredible. Incredible. These amazing American lives were stolen because our government refused to enforce our already existing laws. “These American victims and their families were ignored by the media. The media doesn't want to talk about it. They don't want to talk about it.
At the end of the day, such censorship of this story appears to be taking hold once again in the minds of the liberal media. If it eventually is covered, who knows how they’ll react and possibly chalk it up as a local crime story like they did with Kermit Gosnell.
Here’s the relevant portion of the transcript from March 21's White House Press Briefing:
White House Press Briefing
March 21, 2017
2:15 p.m. EasternRONICA CLEARY: I have two questions on the same story. Recently, a 14-year-old girl — she was raped in the boy's bathroom of her high school. A 17 and 18-year-old boy have been charged, one of the boys, you know, unlawfully entered the country, both have outstanding orders with ICE. So, here’s my first question about it. Currently, schools are prohibited from denying access to public education based on immigration status. Does the President hear a story like that and think that it should be change or be addressed in a future executive order?
SEAN SPICER: I think first, let me just say that this is a tragic event. It’s horrendous and horrible and disgusting what this young woman in Rockville went through. I can't possibly imagine, so first of all, let's remember the human side of this that this is a tragic event that no child, no person, no parent should ever have to deal with. School should be a place where a parent puts their child on a bus or drops them off or sees them off and knows that they're safe and the idea that this occurred is shocking, disturbing, horrific, and whatever other words that come to mind that someone can think of because this is not — school should be a safe place where children are there to learn and to feel safe in that kind of environment and to know this happened in the circumstances that this young woman in particular fought to come to this country legally because of the freedoms and treasures of this nation and to think this kind of tragedy would occur to someone who’s personally endured that type of struggle to come to this nation and then face this is reprehensible and it is not who we are as a country. I think that it is troubling and further to your question, the President recognizes that education is a state run and local issue, but I think that it is cause for concern, I think the city should look at its policies and I think that this is something that authorities are going to have to look at. I think from an immigration standpoint, clearly to see somebody — there are so many facets of this case that deserve question. Why was there — I think he was 17 or 18 years old — 18, thank you and how does that person get put into the ninth grade? Why was there — I mean, there so many issues that come up in this case. I will leave it to authorities to get through, but we are in the early stages and there's a lot to get addressed with respect to this case in particular.
CLEARY: I hear about it being a state issue, let's talk about something that the President has implemented and introduced VOICE. Is VOICE — Victims Of Immigration Crime Enforcement — is that enough?
SPICER: No, it's one piece. The President understands that victims need a voice which is why he brought it into help them when they're specifically targeted or victims of a crime by people here illegally, but I think part of the reason the President has made illegal immigration and crack down such a big deal is because of tragedies like this. We act so many times when we talk about this and say, you know, is the President going to — how — like why is the President dealing with this and because of this priority? Well, part of the reason is because of the tragedy that this young girl dealt with, had to — had inflicted upon her, whatever the word is. But this is — this is why he's passionate about this because people are victims of these crimes in terms of them they're victims the economic piece. There’s a national security piece, but immigration plays its toll on our people if it’s not done legally and this is another example and it’s why the President is so passionate but he recognizes that it’s multifaceted. Why we have to be tough at the border, why I just read off that this exec executive order who’s dealing with people who have committed crimes who local enforcement agencies or municipalities or at the state level are not dealing with it and if you go to the ICE website and download this, you’ll see that it’s over 30-something pages of cases where there is a person that is convicted of a crime that local people — local municipal law enforcement for whatever reason and in some cases, they’re prohibited but for one reason or another, are not enforcing the law and not turning that individual over to federal authorities to be deported and I think is another example of why this issue needs to be addressed.
