Blumenthal casts doubt on Abrego Garcia prosecution: 'Charges are not evidence'
Source: The Hill
06/07/25 2:18 PM ET
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) cast doubt on the prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia upon his return to the U.S. following his mistaken deportation to El Salvador, claiming that “charges are not evidence.” “These charges have to be regarded with a very hefty dose of skepticism, in light of the timing, and all of the attendant circumstances,” Blumenthal said during a Friday night appearance on CNN’s “The Source.“
“The administration has no right to bring charges simply as an offramp, or a face-saver. And now it’s going to have to, in effect, put up and shut up, put its evidence where its mouth is.” “And I’ve heard again and again and again, as a prosecutor, as a United States attorney, federal prosecutor, as well as state attorney general, charges are not evidence,” he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “And so far, we’ve seen no evidence.”
Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian national, who entered the U.S. illegally, was brought back by the Trump administration to the U.S. on Friday. He was hit with a two-count indictment, one for conspiracy and another for unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported earlier this year to El Salvador, is accused by prosecutors of making over 100 trips from Texas to other states in prior years, transporting migrants for payments.
The probe originates from when Abrego Garcia was pulled over by the Tennessee Highway Patrol in late 2022 for speeding. The van was full of passengers without any luggage, prompting questions from the officer on-site, according to the video of the stop. Abrego Garcia said to authorities that he was transporting construction workers to Missouri, but in reality was transporting undocumented migrants, the indictment alleges.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5338594-blumenthal-abrego-garcia-charges-evidence/
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