WATCH: CNN’s Manu Raju Confronts Jim Jordan Over Deleted Tweet Calling Story About 10-Year-Old Rape Victim a ‘Lie’
CNN correspondent Manu Raju confronted Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) over a deleted tweet calling the story of a 10-year-old girl who sought abortion care after being raped a “lie.”
Two weeks ago, Dr. Caitlin Bernard told Shari Rudavsky and Rachel Fradette of The Indianapolis Star that a pregnant 10-year-old girl — referred to her by a child abuse doctor — was one of a crush of patients seeking abortions from states that have banned the procedure following the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which effectively overturned Roe v. Wade.
Jordan was among a host of conservatives who either outright called the story “fake” or otherwise cast doubt on it after President Joe Biden referenced Dr. Bernard’s story in a speech. Jordan retweeted a headline that claimed Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost “said his office has not found any evidence of a 10-year-old rape victim in the state” who “was six weeks pregnant and traveled to Indiana to receive an abortion,” and added his own message: “Another lie. Anyone surprised?”
After news broke Wednesday that a man confessed to the rape in question, Jordan deleted the tweet. On Thursday, Raju confronted Jordan at the Capitol, and the congressman refused to apologize, instead taking the opportunity to slam Biden and pivot to immigration:
MANU RAJU: Why did you delete the tweet?
REP. JORDAN: Well, because we learned that this illegal alien did this heinous crime. So we deleted the tweet.
MANU RAJU: Would you apologize for that to the girl in the family for suggesting it was a lie?
REP. JORDAN: I never doubted the child. I was responding to a headline from, from, from your profession, the news profession, which happens all the time on Twitter, um, doubting Joe Biden, which is usually a smart thing to do.
Raju told CNN anchor John King, “I asked him about the idea about whether a ten-year-old should be required under the law of his state to have this child carried to term if she is raped. He would not answer that specifically, saying this is up to the state legislatures. He would not express his preference on this issue.”
“So, not apologizing for the tweet, not apologizing to the family, not regretting the tweet, but just claiming it was misinterpreted about what he meant, saying he didn’t mean to question the girl, but criticizing the undocumented immigrant who is alleged to have perpetrated this heinous crime,” Raju said.
Raju went on to accuse Jordan of “trying to split hairs a bit here.”
“And then a quick and a quick pivot to try to make it about illegal immigration. We’ve seen this script once or twice before,” King observed.
Watch above via CNN.
