Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) was the first lawmaker to make contact with President Joe Biden as he entered the House of Representatives to deliver his State of the Union address.
I was the first to speak to sleepy Joe and I said:
"Laken Riley" as I wear her name on my lapel.#SayHerName @bennyjohnson @benshapiro @catturd2 @charliekirk11 @DC_Draino @marklevinshow @seanhannity @kleavittnh pic.twitter.com/7LiBaayCOz— Congressman Andy Ogles (@AndyOgles) March 8, 2024
Ogles grabbed Biden’s shoulder and shook his hand while he pointed to his ‘Laken Riley’ pin, reciting the name of the recently-murdered 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was allegedly killed at the hands of an illegal Venezuelan migrant.
“I was the first to speak to sleepy Joe and I said: “Laken Riley” as I wear her name on my lapel,” Ogles wrote on X.
“I tried to give Joe Biden a pin in honor of Laken Riley, but he refused, just like he has refused to say her name,” Ogles added in another post.
I tried to give Joe Biden a pin in honor of Laken Riley, but he refused, just like he has refused to say her name.#SayHerName pic.twitter.com/YF2iqOAGDX
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) March 8, 2024
Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela, was arrested and charged last month for his alleged murder of Riley, who died from blunt-force trauma to her head while on a jog near campus.
Ibarra was processed and released after crossing illegally into the U.S. on September 8, 2022, and was previously arrested and charged in New York City with child endangerment and a motor vehicle license violation last year.
Every Tennessee Republican U.S. Representative voted to pass the Laken Riley Act, which would require ICE to issue a detainer for illegal aliens who are charged or cited with local theft or burglary, on Thursday ahead of Biden’s State of the Union address.
The vote was 251-170. Every no vote belonged to a Democrat representative.
Lawmakers who were providing live commentary during Biden’s address criticized the president for not addressing immigration as one of the first topics of his speech.
Biden is 30 minutes into the State of the Union and still has not put forward a plan to secure our border.
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) March 8, 2024
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24), for example, tweeted, “Biden is 30 minutes into the State of the Union and still has not put forward a plan to secure our border.”
Tennessee’s Ogles also criticized Biden for his elongated focus on Ukraine during his address, tweeting, “Does Joe know this speech is supposed to be about the State of the Union, not the state of Ukraine?”
Does Joe know this speech is supposed to be about the State of the Union, not the state of Ukraine?
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) March 8, 2024
Near the end of Biden’s State of the Union address, he finally mentioned immigration. He held in his hand a “Laken Riley” button, but mispronounced her name, calling her “Lincoln Riley;” and while acknowledging she was killed by an illegal alien, he blamed Republicans in congress for not passing his Ukraine/Border Security bill.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Image “Rep Andy Ogles and President Joes Biden” by Rep Andy Ogles.
