Mollie was nobody's victim. Nor is she a pawn in others' debate
Ten days ago, we learned that Mollie would not be coming home. Shattered, my family set out to celebrate Mollie’s extraordinary life and chose to share our sorrow in private. At the outset, politicians and pundits used Mollie’s death to promote various political agendas. We appealed to them and they graciously stopped. For that, we are grateful.
Sadly, others have ignored our request. They have instead chosen to callously distort and corrupt Mollie’s tragic death to advance a cause she vehemently opposed. I encourage the debate on immigration; there is great merit in its reasonable outcome. But do not appropriate Mollie’s soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist. The act grievously extends the crime that stole Mollie from our family and is, to quote Donald Trump Jr., “heartless" and "despicable.”
Make no mistake, Mollie was my daughter and my best friend. At her eulogy, I said Mollie was nobody’s victim. Nor is she a pawn in others’ debate. She may not be able to speak for herself, but I can and will. Please leave us out of your debate. Allow us to grieve in privacy and with dignity. At long last, show some decency. On behalf of my family and Mollie’s memory, I’m imploring you to stop.
Throughout this ordeal I’ve asked myself, “What would Mollie do?” As I write this, I am watching Sen. John McCain lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda and know that evil will succeed only if good people do nothing. Both Mollie and Senator McCain were good people. I know that both would stand up now and do something.
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. 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.
To the Hispanic community, my family stands with you and offers its heartfelt apology. That you’ve been beset by the circumstances of Mollie’s death is wrong. We treasure the contribution you bring to the American tapestry in all its color and melody. And yes, we love your food.
My stepdaughter, whom Mollie loved so dearly, is Latina. Her sons — Mollie’s cherished nephews and my grandchildren — are Latino. That means I am Hispanic. I am African. I am Asian. I am European. My blood runs from every corner of the Earth because I am American. As an American, I have one tenet: to respect every citizen of the world and actively engage in the ongoing pursuit to form a more perfect union.
Given that, to knowingly foment discord among races is a disgrace to our flag. It incites fear in innocent communities and lends legitimacy to the darkest, most hate-filled corners of the American soul. It is the opposite of leadership. It is the opposite of humanity. It is heartless. It is despicable. It is shameful.
We have the opportunity now to take heed of the lessons that Mollie, John McCain and Aretha Franklin taught — humanity, fairness and courage. For most of the summer, the search for Mollie brought this nation together like no other pursuit. There was a common national will that did transcend opinion, race, gender and geography. Let’s not lose sight of that miracle. Let’s not lose sight of Mollie.
Instead, let’s turn against racism in all its ugly manifestations both subtle and overt. 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. I can tell you, when you’ve lost your best friend, differences are petty and meaningless.
My family remains eternally grateful to all those who adopted Mollie so completely and showered us with so much care, compassion and generosity. Please accept our desire to remain private as we share our loss. We love Mollie with all our hearts and miss her terribly. We need time.
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Mollie Tibbetts' father Rob Tibbetts talks about the search for the missing 20-year-old University of Iowa student during an interview Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, in Grinnell, Iowa. (Photo: Rodney White/The Register)
Rob Tibbetts is the father of Mollie Tibbetts.
This is opinion piece which Rob TIbbett speaks
Donald Trump Jr.: Democrats' reaction to Mollie Tibbetts' death is heartless, despicable
Donald Trump Jr., Guest columnist Published 9:33 a.m. CT Aug. 31, 2018 | Updated 11:58 a.m. CT Aug. 31, 2018
Register artist Mark Marturello attended a benefit concert for Justin Rood at The Greenwood Lounge in Des Moines on Aug. 19, 2018. Stark Raving Madge and Heath Pattschull performed. Marturello said, "It was a nice gathering of family, friends and co-workers pitching in to help out Justin," who was injured this summer when he fell off a ladder. Marturello's sketchbook from the benefit, animated here, appears in the Aug. 26, 2018 Register.Mark Marturello/The Register, Wochit
(Photo: Special to the Register)
The reaction from some Democrats and others on the left to the murder of Mollie Tibbetts is as despicable as it is revealing.
The mask is off and the true radical face of the Democrats has been exposed. They are seemingly more concerned with protecting their radical open-borders agenda than the lives of innocent Americans.
When asked about Mollie’s murder, Sen. Elizabeth Warren — who is for some reason considered a leading contender for the Democrats’ 2020 ticket — played down the killing and said the focus should be on the “real problems” of our immigration system, such as the separation of families at our border.
Think about that for a minute. She apparently believes that illegal alien parents being separated from their children is a bigger problem than American parents having to bury theirs.
Editors' note: Here's what Warren said on CNN: “I’m so sorry for the family here, and I know this is hard not only for her family, but for people in her community, the people throughout Iowa. But one of the things we have to remember is we need an immigration system that is effective, that focuses on where real problems are.” In the same interview, speaking about the separation of children from their parents, she said, “I think we need immigration laws that focus on people who pose a real threat and I don’t think mamas and babies are the place we should be spending our resources.”
But at least Warren could muster some semblance of humanity, saying she was "so sorry for the family here.” MSNBC commentator Christina Greer, on the other hand, dismissed Mollie and her tragic story as “a girl in Iowa,” while CNN commentator Symone Sanders tweeted that the murder had nothing at all to do with illegal immigration and everything to do with “toxic masculinity.”
Liberal media outlets went through great pains to cover the story without actually covering the story. Instead of truthful headlines such as “Illegal immigrant arrested in connection with murder of Mollie Tibbetts,” multiple outlets ran headlines such as “Man arrested in connection to disappearance of Mollie Tibbetts.” They don’t want you to know what happened to her — and they certainly don’t want you to know who is responsible.
Worse still, a number of media outlets and pundits insisted that conservatives and Republicans were “politicizing” Mollie’s murder — an absurd claim coming from the same people who used family separation at the border to call for the abolishment of ICE and jump at the opportunity to exploit any tragedy involving guns to call for the end of the Second Amendment as we know it.
The most ridiculous response came from journalist Chris Riotta, who claimed in the Independent that “Russian bots used Mollie Tibbetts' death to distract from Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort.” Riotta and his ilk simply can’t face the fact that the murder of an innocent girl at the hands of an illegal alien is news that Americans actually care about.
It’s not hard to understand why. The Left is so ideologically committed to open borders that they can’t be honest about the consequences of illegal immigration. If the mainstream media reported objectively about illegal alien crime — not to mention the effects of cheap illegal immigrant labor on the labor market — the wall would have been built years ago and my dad’s policies at the border would be implemented immediately.
Despite what some Democrats may wish in the depths of their hearts, Mollie was murdered by an illegal alien and her murder would never have happened if we policed our southern border properly.
Unfortunately, Mollie was not the first casualty of the left’s love for open borders. The radical policies of the Democrats have left a trail of human wreckage in pursuit of their open borders dream. Yet they continue to act like violent illegal alien crime is a myth concocted by the right, despite the fact that a Washington Times report released in January indicated that 44 percent of people convicted of federal crimes in 2011-2016 were non-citizens.
Fact check: Here are the facts on immigrants committing crimes in US
The murder of Mollie Tibbetts is not a myth. It happened. So did the murders of Kate Steinle, Dominic Durden, Sarah Root, Ronald Da Silva, Grant Ronnebeck, Jamiel Shaw, and countless other innocent Americans sacrificed on the Democrats’ altar of open borders.
Enough is enough. The Democrats are pushing policies that are a direct existential threat to the lives of innocent Americans. If they refuse to abandon the pursuit of open borders, they must be called out and voted out. The memories of those we’ve lost to illegal alien violence deserve nothing less.
Donald Trump Jr. is the executive vice president at The Trump Organization.
