The father of Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student killed while jogging in February, says he’s “angry” his daughter’s death is being exploited in political debates ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
In a Today show interview that aired Monday, Jason Riley addressed the furor that has exploded around the killing and immigration policy after José Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who allegedly entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, was arrested in the case. “I feel like she is being used somewhat politically,” Jason said of his slain 22-year-old daughter. “It makes me angry.”
“She was much better than that,” he continued. “She should be raised up for the person that she is.”
Jason said he is a supporter of Donald Trump and although he’d prefer Laken’s death to “not be so political,” he thinks it has sparked a needed conversation about the best way of securing the southern border and helping women, according to NBC News.
He also addressed President Joe Biden mentioning his daughter during his recent State of the Union address, in which the Democrat appeared to misname her “Lincoln Riley.” Biden said in the address that the Augusta University student had been “killed by an illegal,” though he later said he regretted using the term “illegal” instead of “undocumented person.”
“I think it’s being used politically to get those votes,” Jason said of Laken’s death. He also reportedly said the killing had “started a storm in our country” which has “incited a lot of people.”
