Washington, D.C. – The White House is calling out major news networks CNN and MSNBC for failing to air a powerful live appeal from Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin—a Maryland woman tragically murdered last year while out for a jog.

Rachel, a mother of five, was brutally beaten, raped, and strangled in August 2023 by Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant who was found guilty on all charges earlier this week, including first-degree murder and rape.

At Wednesday’s White House press briefing, Patty Morin—visibly emotional—pleaded with journalists to stop ignoring the violence tied to illegal immigration.

“Tell the truth, tell how violent it really is,” she said through tears. “This isn’t about politics. It’s about protecting our children and national security.”

Standing beside White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Morin’s appeal was heartfelt and deeply personal, but it didn’t air live on either CNN or MSNBC. CNN later showed a brief clip on Thursday afternoon, but MSNBC has not covered Morin’s appearance or even mentioned her daughter’s name this week.

Senior Trump administration officials didn’t hold back.

Steven Cheung, White House communications director, posted on X:

“SHAMEFUL that @CNN and @MSNBC refuses to take Angel Mom Patty Morin as she recounts the terrible tragedy of how an illegal killed her sweet daughter, Rachel.”

Stephen Miller, a top White House advisor on policy and homeland security, added:

“CNN’s and MSNBC’s contempt for the victims of migrant crime is reprehensible.”

DOGE director Elon Musk also chimed in, reacting with a “” emoji to Cheung’s post.

Critics point out what they see as glaring media bias. According to Grabien Media, CNN has at least mentioned Rachel Morin’s case each day this week. In contrast, MSNBC has remained silent—even on shows like Morning Joe.

And while the networks ignored the Martinez-Hernandez trial, they gave extensive coverage—over 64 minutes—to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported illegal immigrant and suspected MS-13 member from Maryland.

That drew further criticism from FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who blasted what he called media distortion.

“Comcast outlets spent days misleading the American public—implying Abrego Garcia was just a law-abiding ‘Maryland man.’ When the truth came out, they ignored it.”

Carr also reminded news outlets of their legal obligation:

“Federal law requires licensed operations to serve the public interest. News distortion doesn’t cut it.”

Neither CNN nor MSNBC has issued a statement in response to the White House’s criticism. A recent report from the Media Research Center found that while Rachel Morin’s murder trial went unmentioned on ABC, CBS, and NBC, those same networks had plenty of airtime for Abrego Garcia’s deportation story.

As the political battle over immigration intensifies, Patty Morin’s heartbreaking words echo louder than ever. Her message wasn’t just for the cameras—it was for the country:

“Protect our kids. That’s all I ask.”

Source: FOX News – Trump administration excoriates CNN, MSNBC for not airing Patty Morin’s appeal to journalists at White House

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El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele says there’s “no way” he’ll return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S., despite a Supreme Court push to repatriate the Maryland resident wrongly deported last month.

In a tense and controversial case straining diplomatic ties, President Bukele firmly rejected any notion of sending Abrego Garcia back to the United States. Speaking alongside Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, Bukele dismissed the idea as absurd.

“The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” Bukele told reporters, adding, “I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”

The U.S. Supreme Court recently urged the administration to “facilitate” Garcia’s return. But both Bukele and Trump administration officials are pushing back.

Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident, was deported to El Salvador and thrown into a notorious gang prison near San Salvador, despite an immigration court order that should have blocked his removal. The court cited credible fears he could face gang violence if deported.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security now says it has no authority to retrieve him. According to DHS counsel Joseph Mazzara, Garcia is under the legal jurisdiction of a “foreign sovereign nation.”

Trump administration officials claim Garcia is affiliated with MS-13—a designated foreign terrorist organization. But his lawyers say there’s no evidence supporting that claim. In fact, Garcia has never lived in New York, the location cited in a 2019 confidential informant’s allegation that he was part of an MS-13 clique.

Despite multiple court rulings in Garcia’s favor, U.S. officials have refused to clarify whether they’ll comply with the Supreme Court’s directive. A federal judge is now weighing whether to hold the government in contempt.

The case shines a spotlight on Bukele’s role in Trump’s hardline immigration agenda. Since March, El Salvador has taken in over 200 Venezuelan migrants the Trump administration labeled as gang-affiliated. Many were locked up in the country’s high-security Tecoluca prison as part of Bukele’s aggressive anti-gang crackdown.

In return, the U.S. has pledged around $6 million to help cover detention costs.

President Trump praised Bukele for his cooperation, saying:

“They have one hell of a president… We can do things with him for less money and have great security.”

He even floated the idea of sending U.S. citizens who’ve committed crimes to be imprisoned in El Salvador.

“We have bad ones too… You’ve got to build five more places,” Trump said in a video posted by Bukele.

Democrats are raising red flags over the treatment of Garcia and others swept up in mass deportations. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) requested a meeting with Bukele to discuss Garcia’s fate, while Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) condemned the administration’s actions:

“Disregarding the rule of law, ignoring Supreme Court rulings, and detaining people without due process makes us less safe.”

At home, Bukele’s prison crackdown—putting more than 84,000 people behind bars—has earned him sky-high approval ratings. But his suspension of basic rights under a three-year state of emergency has drawn criticism from international observers and the Biden administration.

Still, Bukele maintains that returning gang leaders is a matter of “national honor,” as El Salvador continues its war against organized crime.

Source: AP News – El Salvador President Bukele says he won’t be releasing a Maryland man back to the US

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“He shouldn’t have been sent to El Salvador,” DOJ attorney tells court before being placed on leave.

The Justice Department has placed a senior immigration attorney on administrative leave after he expressed visible frustration in court over the mistaken deportation of a Maryland man to El Salvador—a move that violated a standing court order.

Erez Reuveni, a government lawyer handling immigration litigation, openly admitted in court that he couldn’t get clear answers from his own department about how Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia—a father of three—was deported despite a judge’s explicit order blocking his removal.

“Our only arguments are jurisdictional… He should not have been sent to El Salvador,” Reuveni told the judge. When pressed on why the U.S. hasn’t simply requested Abrego Garcia’s return, he responded candidly: “The first thing I did when I got this case on my desk is ask my clients the same question.” He said he never received a direct response.

That moment of transparency may have cost him his job—at least temporarily. Attorney General Pam Bondi swiftly criticized Reuveni’s courtroom remarks, issuing a stern statement:

“At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States. Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences.”

The same day, Reuveni was placed on administrative leave. So was his supervisor, August Flentje, who, according to sources, was faulted for failing to properly oversee Reuveni’s handling of the case. Flentje is a prominent DOJ figure known for defending the Trump administration’s controversial travel ban.

The heart of the issue lies in a March deportation that federal officials now acknowledge was a mistake. According to a filing from the Trump administration, Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported on March 15 due to what they called “an administrative error”—even though Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was aware he had legal protection against removal.

It was the first time the administration publicly admitted fault in its recent string of deportation flights to El Salvador—flights that have now come under intense legal scrutiny.

Adding urgency to the matter, a federal judge in Maryland has ordered the U.S. government to return Abrego Garcia by Monday night. But DOJ lawyers filed an emergency motion on Saturday, attempting to block the order, arguing that they cannot retrieve him because he is now in Salvadoran custody.

Abrego Garcia’s story is drawing public sympathy. Fleeing gang violence more than a decade ago, he settled in Maryland and started a family. His wife recently identified him in a photograph of detainees arriving at El Salvador’s infamous mega prison, CECOT—a facility known for housing thousands under harsh conditions.

This unfolding case highlights a deep tension within the DOJ over how attorneys handle controversial immigration cases. Reuveni, who had only recently been promoted to acting deputy director at the Office of Immigration Litigation, now finds himself on the sidelines.

Whether his candid approach will be seen as insubordination or integrity remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: this mistaken deportation has sparked a legal and political firestorm that shows no signs of cooling.

Source: CNN – DOJ attorney placed on leave after expressing frustration in court with government over mistakenly deported man

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