Senator Katie Britt, a rising star in the Republican Party and the first female senator from Alabama, has been accused of making a "whopping lie" regarding a sex trafficking victim's story during her rebuttal to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. The controversy has overshadowed her speech, which was already facing criticism for its tone and delivery.
In her rebuttal, Britt recounted a story of a woman she claimed to have met during a visit to the Del Rio sector of Texas. According to Britt, the woman had been sex trafficked by Mexican drug cartels starting at the age of 12 and was subjected to repeated daily rapes. The senator implied that these events occurred in the United States and were a result of President Biden's border policies.
"We wouldn't be OK with this happening in a third-world country," Britt said. "This is the United States of America, and it's past time we start acting like it. President Biden's border crisis is a disgrace. It's despicable. And it's almost entirely preventable."
However, Talking Points Memo journalist Jonathan M. Katz has called Britt's portrayal of the woman's situation into question. In a lengthy video posted on TikTok, Katz cited evidence suggesting that the woman Britt spoke to was likely Karla Jacinto Romero, who had previously testified before Congress about her experiences. According to Romero's own testimony, she was trafficked entirely within Mexico between 2004 and 2008, during a time when Biden was not in the White House.
"These events didn't happen in the United States," Katz said. "These crimes didn't take place in the United States. Or even near the border. They took place in Mexico."
When contacted by The Washington Post, Sean Ross, a spokesman for Britt, confirmed that the senator had been referring to Romero's story and claimed that what she said "was 100 percent correct." However, Ross did not specifically refute Katz's evidence or arguments, instead focusing on the broader issue of trafficking and its impact on innocent victims.
The response from Britt's office has been met with further criticism from notable figures on social media, including conservative lawyer and The Lincoln Project co-founder George Conway, who called it "the epitome of a non-denial denial."
Many others have accused Britt of lying about the sex trafficking victim's story, with some noting that the media response would have been far more intense had a Democrat made similar claims. Kaivan Shroff, press secretary for the pro-Biden non-profit group Dream for America, wrote on X, "Wild that Katie Britt told a whopping lie during her State of the Union rebuttal with her story about a sex trafficking victim and these are the only outlets/sites covering it. Imagine if a Democrat did the same...would be a huge story. Instead media doesn't care, gives a pass."
Journalist John Harwood and Talking Points founder Josh Marshall also weighed in, with Harwood suggesting that Britt's actions exemplify what the Republican Party has become and Marshall praising Katz's work in uncovering the alleged lie.
The controversy surrounding Britt's State of the Union rebuttal has raised questions about her credibility and the accuracy of her claims. As a rising star in the Republican Party, Britt's performance and the subsequent accusations of lying have the potential to impact her political future and the public's perception of her integrity.
