Internet shreds Katie Britt as human trafficking survivor slams her for inaccurate claims in SOTU retort

WASHINGTON, DC: The woman, whose harrowing story was seemingly shared by Katie Britt during the Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union (SOTU) address, has come forward, challenging the narrative presented by the Alabama Senator.

Karla Jacinto, the woman in question, told CNN that she was trafficked before President Joe Biden's term, and expressed her disdain for politicians exploiting her story for political gain.

Karla Jacinto slams Senator Katie Britt for exploiting her story

“I hardly ever cooperate with politicians, because it seems to me that they only want an image. They only want a photo — and that to me is not fair,” Karla Jacinto told CNN on Sunday, March 10.

She emphasized the need for empathy from legislators toward victims of human trafficking, urging them to understand the gravity of the issue beyond mere rhetoric.

“I work as a spokesperson for many victims who have no voice, and I really would like them to be empathetic: all the governors, all the senators, to be empathetic with the issue of human trafficking because there are millions of girls and boys who disappear all the time. People who are really trafficked and abused, as she [Britt] mentioned,” Jacinto said, per a translation of the interview provided by the outlet.

“And I think [Britt] should first take into account what really happens before telling a story of that magnitude,” Jacinto added.

What did Katie Britt say in response to Biden's SOTU address?

During the GOP response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7, Alabama Senator Katie Britt said, “When I first took office, I did something different. I traveled to the Del Rio sector of Texas, where I spoke to a woman who shared her story with me. She had been sex trafficked by the cartels starting at age 12.”

"She told me not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped," Britt continued, before adding, "We wouldn't be OK with this happening in a third-world country. This is the United States of America, and it's past time we start acting like it."

“President Biden’s border crisis is a disgrace. It’s despicable. And it’s almost entirely preventable," Britt added.

Jacinto's account, however, contradicts Senator Britt's portrayal of the events.

Britt recounted a meeting with a trafficked woman during her time in office, highlighting the horrors of human trafficking along the US-Mexico border. However, Jacinto clarified that the encounter took place at a public event, not in a one-on-one setting as suggested by Britt.

Furthermore, she was trafficked by a pimp, not by Mexican drug cartels as implied by the senator.

Despite the discrepancies, Britt’s communications director Sean Ross defended the senator's remarks, maintaining that her narrative was accurate.

When pressed on the matter during a Fox News interview, Britt reiterated her stance, insisting that she did not intend to mislead the audience but rather aimed to draw attention to the ongoing crisis at the border.

“I very clearly said I spoke to a woman who told me about when she was trafficked when she was 12. So I didn’t say a teenager, I didn’t say a young woman, a grown woman. A woman, when she was trafficked, when she was 12,” Britt said.

Internet shreds Alabama Senator Katie Britt for false claims

The fallout from Jacinto's response was swift, with social media users condemning Senator Britt's alleged misrepresentation of the facts. 

"So essentially, Britt was lying," one posted on X.

"Incredibly brave that she came forward but disgusting that she had to because of a pretty little liar GOP handmaiden," another wrote.

"Doesn’t matter if it’s a sensitive issue, it’s just a talking point for them," someone else wrote.

"I'm glad she got to speak out but I'm also sad that she had to. We keep using victims to score political points while not doing enough about the men who commit these crimes," a comment read.

"Time to start calling them out for their lies on live TV," another insisted.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.