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SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says he had to set the record straight.
Shurtleff received several Twitter messages asking why his office is not taking down illegal immigrants who steal Social Security cards. He responded with a tweet of his own, saying: "I have prosecuted hundreds of illegal aliens stealing SSNs and using them to buy homes."
The attorney general says he felt like he had to get the facts out.
"We actually broke one of the biggest Social Security fraud/housing fraud cases in the country a few years ago, and they were largely Latinos who were using stolen security cards to buy a home," Shurtleff says.
He says he's receives questions like this all time. One person asked him why he is pushing the pathway to citizenship.
"I've never used those words," Shurtleff says.
But there is no concrete evidence on who is sending out this information.
"I don't know where this is coming from, except for people like Cherilyn Eagar, who I call professional provocateurs who, for political reasons, are deliberately misinforming the public on my stances."
Shurtleff has received some criticism from his tweeting, but he says he has no intention of not sending any more messages out.
"I like tweeting and I like Facebook because it's a way for me to connect directly with people," he says.
Shurtleff also says the media doesn't always get things right.
E-mail: cwall@ksl.com
