United States Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is denying that he referred to the report of a 10-year-old rape victim traveling to Indiana for an abortion as a "lie."
He did.
On Tuesday afternoon, Jordan wrote, "Another lie. Anyone surprised?" in a Twitter post that included a Washington Examiner article that featured Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's attempted refutation of the account. After news broke that the suspect was arrested, Jordan deleted the tweet.
READ MORE: Indiana attorney general blames immigration and 'Marxists' for 10-year-old rape victim's abortion plight
Jordan and Yost were not the only Republicans to question the girl's story. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed his doubts, and The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board called the account "a fanciful tale." None of them have issued a formal apology in light of the accused rapist's capture. In fact, The Wall Street Journaladded an editor's note to its piece that defended the paper's reasoning for weighing in.
On Thursday, Jordan was asked by CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju if he "regretted tweeting that a story about a 10-year-old girl from Ohio who traveled to Indiana to get an abortion is a 'lie' — even though it’s true."
Jordan stood his ground and tried to spin the narrative into a referendum on immigration.
"I was commenting on a news story,” he told Raju. “The real story is this is a heinous crime by an illegal immigrant, and I hope he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
READ MORE: 'That does not happen': Witnesses refute House Republican's 'outrageous' claims of 'infanticide'
When asked to explain why he deleted his tweet, Jordan said it was "because we learned that an illegal alien did this crime." Jordan also claimed that he “never doubted the child. I was responding to a headline."
Jordan further insisted that his reaction "came across as what [President] Joe Biden had talked about, others have talked about, we never questioned the child.”
Raju then asked Jordan if he believes that a 10-year-old should be forced to carry a pregnancy to term.
“The court said that is a question for the people’s representatives in our state legislatures," he deflected.
READ MORE: Kevin McCarthy cites disputed fentanyl overdose report to push anti-immigration rhetoric