No reporter asked Obama about Kate Steinle at today’s presser
Obama has received justified criticism for not giving a statement about the killing of Kate Steinle in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant who had a long criminal record and had been deported five times.
The silence stands in contrast to Obama issuing statements and otherwise commenting on the death of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and others.
That criticism comes mostly from conservative media. The mainstream media has slightly touched the story, but nowhere near as extensively as other cases.
Surely, with all the criticism, at least one reporter at today’s press conference would have asked a question about Kate’s murder.
The press conference primarily addressed the Iran nuclear deal, but other issues were raised towards the end, including prison reform, revoking Bill Cosby’s Medal of Freedom, and Obama’s upcoming trip to Kenya.
Obama even reached out when the Iran questioning seemed done, which would have been the perfect opportunity for a question not addressing Iran:
Alright. Have we exhausted Iran questions here? I — I think there’s a helicopter that’s coming. But — but I really am enjoying this Iran debate.Topics that may not have been touched upon, criticisms that you’ve heard that I did not answer, the — I just — go ahead. Go ahead.
Kate’s murder raises important policy questions about the deportation system, the border, and sanctuary cities like San Francisco that severely restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Surely, someone could have asked Obama to comment on it.
But no one did. (Full transcript and video here).
Remember the case of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. who was arrested on his porch in Cambridge, MA?
Obama jumped into that case feet first, but only when asked a a press conference, giving rise to his infamous “stupidly” comment:
It turned out (as the audio tapes and witnesses showed) that there was no racial profiling, that Gates was the one who acted “stupidly,” and it ended with a beer summit.
But why no questions about Kate Steinle today, particularly since the White House Press Secretary has obfuscated when asked about the Steinle murder?
Because for most of the mainstream media, the types who get access to presidential press conferences, the issues raised by the murder of Kate Steinle are just not important. And politically uncomfortable.
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