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DES MOINES, IOWA — Just days after burying his slain daughter Mollie Tibbetts, Rob Tibbetts issued an emotional plea to the nation: Let her rest in peace.
In a heartfelt column published in the Des Moines Register, Tibbetts called on the nation’s leaders not to use Mollie’s death, allegedly at the hands of an undocumented immigrant, as a rallying cry for white supremacy. In doing so, he used Donald Trump Jr.’s own words in a direct rebuke of the Trump administration.
“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,” he wrote. “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.'”
Just the day before Tibbetts penned his letter to the nation, the president’s son shared his own thoughts about Mollie’s death in the same paper.
“The reaction from some Democrats and others on the left to the murder of Mollie Tibbetts is as despicable as it is revealing,” he wrote in a guest column. “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…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.”
Tibbetts’ body was discovered Aug. 21 in a cornfield near Brooklyn, Iowa weeks after she disappeared while jogging. Police charged farmworker Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, with first-degree murder in her death. Rivera, who reportedly led investigators to the body, is in the United States illegally, authorities said. The tragedy instantly became a lighting rod in the national debate over illegal immigration. The president, who has made the crackdown on illegal immigration a central theme of his administration, wasted little time in using the tragedy to prove his point.
“You saw what happened to that beautiful, incredible young woman. Should have never happened. Illegally in our country,” Trump said at a rally in West Virginia that night, according to The Baltimore Sun. “The immigration laws are such a disgrace. We’re getting them changed.”
Shortly after, phones across the state began ringing out with robo calls from a white nationalist group using Mollie’s name to incite violence against immigrants.
“If after her life has now been brutally stolen from her, she could be brought back to life for just one moment and asked, ‘What do you think now?,’ Mollie Tibbetts would say, ‘Kill them all,’ ” the robocall message said.
Rob Tibbetts sought to counter that message with his daughter’s loving spirit.
RELATED: ‘Kill Them All’: Robocalls Target Immigrants After Tibbetts Death
“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,” he wrote.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Photo: A blue ribbon was affixed to a light post in Brooklyn, Iowa, during the search for Mollie Tibbetts, who was missing from her hometown for a month before her body was discovered on Aug. 21. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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