Trump resumes calls for border wall in response to Kate Steinle murder trial verdict

President Trump early Friday resumed his criticism of the not guilty verdict for an immigrant charged with murder in the 2015 shooting death of Kate Steinle.

In a series of early morning tweets, Trump called the verdict a “complete travesty,” repeating his calls to build a border wall with Mexico and warning Democrats to take a tougher stance on immigration or pay the price in elections.

“The Kate Steinle killer came back and back over the weakly protected Obama border, always committing crimes and being violent, and yet this info was not used in court. His exoneration is a complete travesty of justice. BUILD THE WALL!” Trump tweeted. {mosads}

“The jury was not told the killer of Kate was a 7 time felon. The Schumer/Pelosi Democrats are so weak on Crime that they will pay a big price in the 2018 and 2020 Elections,” he added in a later tweet.

The Kate Steinle killer came back and back over the weakly protected Obama border, always committing crimes and being violent, and yet this info was not used in court. His exoneration is a complete travesty of justice. BUILD THE WALL!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2017

The jury was not told the killer of Kate was a 7 time felon. The Schumer/Pelosi Democrats are so weak on Crime that they will pay a big price in the 2018 and 2020 Elections.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 1, 2017

Steinle was fatally wounded while walking the San Francisco waterfront in 2015 by immigrant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, who had been residing in the U.S. illegally and had been deported to Mexico on five previous occasions. She was 32 years old.

On Thursday, a jury for the Superior Court of San Francisco acquitted Zarate of murder and manslaughter in the fatal shooting.

The ruling immediately drew backlash from conservatives, including Trump, who have used the murder as an example of the need for stronger border security. 

Trump frequently highlighted Steinle’s case on the campaign trail, including in his speech at the Republican National Convention last summer when he accepted the party’s presidential nomination.