Katie Britt Slammed by Sex Trafficking Survivor Whose Story Went Viral After Britt Lied About Key Details

Karla Jacinto criticized the Alabama senator for sharing an inaccurate version of her story for political gain, telling CNN that politicians seem to "only want an image" without considering "what really happens"

The sex trafficking survivor whose story was co-opted by Republican Sen. Katie Britt during the lawmaker's viral State of the Union rebuttal tells CNN that the United States' current immigration policies didn't factor into her experience — both because she was trafficked in a different country and because it happened decades ago, during George W. Bush's presidency.

Britt delivered her party's rebuttal to Biden's annual address to Congress last Thursday, immediately going viral for her unusual delivery (which was skewered on Saturday Night Live by Scarlett Johansson).

During her remarks, Britt told the story of a sex trafficking survivor — who has now been identified as Karla Jacinto — as an example of what the Alabama senator called President Joe Biden's "border crisis."

Related: Scarlett Johansson Makes Surprise SNL Cameo as ‘Scary Mom’ Sen. Katie Britt: ‘Women Love Kitchens’

Britt spoke of meeting Jacinto at the Texas-Mexico border who had "been sex trafficked by the cartels starting at the age of 12."

"She told me not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped," Britt continued. "The cartels put her on a mattress in a shoebox of a room, and they sent men through that door over and over again for hours and hours on end. We wouldn’t be okay with this happening in a third world country. This is the United States of America, and it is past time, in my opinion, that we start acting like it. President Biden’s border policies are a disgrace."

Speaking to CNN, however, Jacinto said that she was trafficked not by drug cartels but by a pimp, and that the trafficking took place in Mexico during the administration of President Bush, from 2004 to 2008.

Related: Why House Republicans Targeted Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for Impeachment

Jacinto also told the outlet that she shared her story with a group of activists and government officials that included Britt, and that their conversation did not take place one-on-one, as implied.

“I hardly ever cooperate with politicians, because it seems to me that they only want an image," Jacinto said. "They only want a photo — and that to me is not fair."

Related: President Biden's Energetic State of the Union Brings Him Best Fundraising Hours of 2024 Campaign

Elsewhere in her interview with CNN, Jacinto said she thinks of herself as “a spokesperson for many victims who have no voice," adding that lawmakers should 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 [Britt] mentioned."

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

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Britt was asked to clarify whether she intended to make it seem like Jacinto was trafficked under Biden's watch.

"No … I very specifically said, this is what President Biden did during his first 100 days. Minutes after coming into office, he stopped all deportations. He halted construction of the border wall, and he said I am going to give amnesty to millions. Those types of things act as a magnet to have more and more people here,” Britt told Fox.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.