As Fox News prattles on about Mollie Tibbetts' accused killer being undocumented, information is coming to light which suggests Cristhian Bahena Rivera was in Iowa legally.
The government is incorrectly promoting the idea that Rivera is not in Iowa legally, attorney Allen Richards of Tama said in a court document asking for a gag order in the case.
"Sad and sorry Trump has weighed in on this matter in national media which will poison the entire possible pool of jury members," Richards wrote, referencing a statement from the president citing Tibbetts' death as an example why "immigration laws are such a disgrace."
Rivera has lived in Iowa for four to seven years, working at Yarrabee Farms, a Brooklyn-area farm owned by Eric Lang, the brother of Craig Lang, a prominent Republican.
Craig Lang has verified that Rivera is in Iowa legally, according to Richards’ motion.
"Craig Lang supports Cristhian’s right to be in this jurisdiction and for the government to support any other idea of status publicly flies in the face of such statement," Richard wrote.
"Cristhian deserves the court’s protection as to his characterization before a jury pool."
Granted, this is coming from Rivera's lawyer, who has a duty to defend his client with vigor. But there are some facts to back this up, including the fact that Rivera's employer verified his Social Security number, reviewed the two forms of identification, and employed Rivera for 4 years without a problem.
Maybe Fox News jumped the gun. Did someone tell them to run with the undocumented angle before they actually knew?
