Politico Frames Perry's Comments on McLelland Murders as Gaffe

Politico’s Katie Glueck on Thursday attempted to spin Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s comments on Mexican drug cartels and their potential connection to the murders of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife as a gaffe.

On Wednesday, Perry told Fox News anchor Jenna Lee, “We know the drug cartels are very, very active in our country now.” He claimed, “It goes back… to the whole issue of border security and the failure of the federal government to put the men and women, whether they are military or whether they’re border patrol or whether working with the local law enforcement, expend the dollars necessary to secure the border with Mexico.”

“That’s of great concern,” Perry added. “I would suggest to you, it is really at the heart of this issue. You secure the border, then it makes it harder for these individuals to have access into this country as well as it addresses this whole issue that’s hanging out on immigration.”

Perry’s comments on Fox were in response to a question about whether the Aryan Brotherhood (AB) was involved in the McLelland murders. He noted the connections between the AB and the Mexican drug cartels and suggested that no potential angle of this issue should be overlooked.

At a Thursday press conference, Perry added that while he mentioned the drug cartels specifically in that Fox News hit, “it is very premature to be making any statements about who may or may not have been involved with this.”

“There was a report by the Department of Public Safety that said the greatest threat to Texans’ safety were the drug cartels,” Perry said on Thursday. “Obviously that’s part of the investigation, those individuals involved with that. But to make any conclusions, to try to read into any statements about who may or may not be involved with this is a bit premature.”

Since cartel activity in America has the potential to derail immigration reform efforts that the establishment media is in favor of, Glueck tried to scandalize Perry’s original comments, framing his remarks on Thursday as Perry walking back what he said about the cartels.

Glueck’s piece on Politico is headlined “Rick Perry Explains Border Comments,” suggesting the media outlet believes Perry’s original remarks were some kind of gaffe. In the piece, Glueck claims Perry’s original comments “raised eyebrows.”