KNOW HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THE
DEADLY FENTANYL.
MARIA: JOINING ME RIGHT NOW IS
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF WEST
VIRGINIA PATRICK AND AG, IT’S
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH --
>> THANK YOU FOR SHINING THE
SPOTLIGHT ON THIS CRITICAL
ISSUE.
MARIA: IT’S INCREDIBLE.
YOUR STATE IS ON THE FRONT LINES
OF THE FENTANYL CRISIS.
OVERDOSE DEATHS FROM THE DRUG
NEARLY DOUBLED FROM 2019 TO
2020.
TELL ME WHY WEST VIRGINIA IS
PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE?
>> WELL, WE ARE VULNERABLE
BECAUSE WHEN YOU SETOUTER BORDER
DISASTER THAT’S GOING ON,
ULTIMATELY THOSE INGREDIENTS
THAT ARE COMING FROM CHINA GOING
TO THE MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS AND
THEN THE PRODUCT IT’S MADE, IT’S
SHIPPED OVER THE BORDER AND
EVENTUALLY MAKES ITS WAY TO THE
HEARTLANDS OF AMERICA INCLUDING
WEST VIRGINIA AND WE ARE SEEING
FENTANYL DEATHS AND OVERDOSE
RATES GO THROUGH THE ROOF.
I MEAN, LITERALLY BODY BAGS ARE
LINING UP AT A LEVERAGE THAT YOU
CAN’T IMAGINE BECAUSE OF WHAT’S
HAPPENING RIGHT DOWN HERE.
THAT’S OUTRAGEOUS AND WE NEED TO
HAVE A LOT MORE FOCUS ON
PRESIDENT BIDEN.
IT’S MALFEASANCE AT THE HIGHEST
LEVEL.
IT NEEDS MORE ATTENTION IN WEST
VIRGINIA NATIONAL.
MARIA: I’M WONDERING IF THIS IS
A SERIOUS DERELICTION OF DUTY
BECAUSE WE HEAR PRESIDENT BIDEN
TALK ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS,
ATTACKING THE REPUBLICANS, WHAT
ARE REPUBLICANS FOR, NOT ONCE
HAS HE ADDRESSED THE FENTANYL
CRISIS.
>> WELL, HE HASN’T, THE HOMELAND
SECURITY SECRETARY MAYORKAS, HIS
POSITION SHOULD BE TERMINATED
RIGHT NOW.
HE NEEDS TO BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY
BECAUSE YOU CAN’T ALLOW THIS
KIND OF SENSELESS DEATH TO KEEP
GOING ON AND SAY, OH, WELL,
THERE’S NOTHING THAT WE CAN DO.
WE HAVE BEEN PRESSING THE HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT
HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT
BIDEN AND NOW WE WROTE A LETTER
TO SECRETARY OF STATE BLINKEN,
WE THINK BIDEN AND BLINKEN PRESS
THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT TO CRACK
DOWN ON MEXICAN CARTELS BECAUSE
THAT’S WHERE THE PROBLEM IS
COMING FROM.
MARIA: THE CARTELS ARE MAKING SO
MUCH MONEY.
YESTERDAY WHEN WE WERE TOGETHER
AT THE BORDER WALL, THE -- ONE
OF THE AGENTS TOLD US THAT JUST
FROM HUMAN TRAFFICKING THESE
MEXICAN CARTELS ARE MAKING
$100 MILLION A WEEK.
>> THAT’S RIGHT.
MARIA: A WEEK.
IMAGINE HOW MUCH THEY ARE MAKING
FROM THE DRUG TRADE.
I KNOW YOU SAID THAT MAYORKAS
SINGLE-HANDILY SABOTAGED THE
BORDER AND YOU SENT THE LETTERS.
DO YOU THINK YOU WILL HAVE ANY
SUCCESS HERE?
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, WAIT
FOR ANOTHER ELECTION OR DO YOU
THINK THERE’S ACTUALLY A CHANCE
THAT HE -- THERE WILL BE
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HIS REFUSAL
TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL OF THIS?
>> I THINK AMERICANS HAVE TO
RISE UP AND AS THEY SEE BODY
BAGS KEEP LINING UP BECAUSE OF
THE ABSOLUTELY FAILED AND
TERRIBLE POLICIES OF THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION, THERE’S ALWAYS
HOPE BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP THE
PRESSURE UP.
WE HAVE LAWSUITS, WE WANT THEM
TO ENFORCE THE LAWS.
WEST VIRGINIA NEEDS TO PUT EVEN
MORE TIME AND RESOURCES TO
STOPPING THIS PROBLEM, HELPING
WHAT TEXAS AND OTHERS HAVE DONE.
WE HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTING.
EVERY DAY THAT THERE’S AN ACTION
MEANS THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING
TO DIE.
>> THIS WAS A REALLY IMPRESSIVE
SHOWING YESTERDAY.
13 AG’S COMING TO THE BORDER
BECAUSE TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON
PUTTING THE SUMMIT TOGETHER.
SOME OF YOU HAD NOT BEEN HERE
BEFORE.
>> CUDOS TO GOVERNOR ABBOTT AND
KEN PAXTON FOR ORGANIZING THIS
BECAUSE BEING HERE IS A VERY
EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE.
YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO SEE IT
FIRSTHAND AND YOU SEE WHAT IS
HAPPENING WITH THE WALL AND HOW
TEXAS AND STATES ARE HELPING UP
TO STEP.
WE NEED TO SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT
ON WHAT’S HAPPENING.
>> TELL ME ABOUT THE PEOPLE OF
WEST VIRGINIA BECAUSE WEST
VIRGINIA SENATOR JOE MANCHIN HAS
BEEN BUTTING HEADS WITH HIS OWN
PARTY.
OBVIOUSLY HE AND SENATOR KYRSTEN
SINEMA STALLED PRESIDENT BIDEN’S
AGENDA BOTH SIDED WITH
REPUBLICANS AND REFUSE TODAY
CHANGE THE FILIBUSTER RULE.
WHY WOULD WE WANT TO BLOW UP THE
SENATE RULES AND THEY OPPOSED
THE BUILD BACK BETTER MASSIVE
SPENDING.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN TERMS
OF THE VOTERS, THE PEOPLE IN
WEST VIRGINIA IN TERMS OF WHAT’S
GOING ON WITH THESE TWO
SENATORS?
>> YEAH, I THINK WE HAVE TO BE
POSITIVE WHEN PEOPLE ARE DOING
THE RIGHT THING AND OBVIOUSLY,
YOU KNOW, COMING FROM ME, I
THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE I’M
ROOTING HIM ON.
I WANT HIM TO DO THE RIGHT THING
AND WEST VIRGINIANS LIKE WHEN
FOLKS STAND UP TO THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT ON WHAT’S HAPPENING.
I WOULD ASK SENATOR MANCHIN TO
USE SOME OF THAT ENERGY RIGHT
NOW TO PRESSURE BIDEN TO GET HIM
TO FOCUS A LOT MORE ON THE
IMMIGRATION DISASTER, ON THE
FENTANYL FLOODING INTO OUR
STATE.
THAT’S THE NUMBER 1 ISSUE FROM
MY PERSPECTIVE.
COVID IS IMPORTANT BUT FENTANYL,
PEOPLE ARE DYING BY THE BUCKET
LOAD AND IT’S NOT GETTING THE
ATTENTION.
MARIA: WHAT COULD YOU DO ABOUT
IT?
>> A COUPLE OF THINGS, NUMBER 1
WE ARE JOINING LITIGATION TO
UPHOLD THE LAWS, TEXAS IS TAKEN
A LOT OF THE LEAD ON IMMIGRATION
CASES, WE FILED THE LAWSUIT
AGAINST THE HOMELAND SECURITY
DEPARTMENT AND WE WILL TRAIN A
LOT OF PRESSURE WITH THE AG’S ON
BLINKEN, ON BIDEN, ON MAYORKAS
AND OTHERS, UPHOLD THE DARN LAW
AND START TO PRESSURE THE
MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS.
WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT THE
FINANCIAL STREAMS, THE AMOUNT OF
MONEY FLOODING INTO THE U.S.
WITH THE SAFE HOUSES AND THE
RESOURCES COMING IN.
IT’S A HUGE PROBLEM AND IT
DESERVES THE ATTENTION, START TO
LOOK AT THOSE FINANCIAL STREAMS.
MARIA: OF COURSE.
LOOK AT THE JOURNEY THAT THESE
PEOPLE ARE TAKING.
THERE’S RAPE HAPPENING, HUMAN
TRAFFICKING, IT’S ABSOLUTELY SO
SAD AND NOT EVEN A CONVERSATION
ABOUT IT IN THIS WHITE HOUSE.
IT’S EXTRAORDINARY.
>> IT’S UNBELIEVABLE.
LOOK, IT’S MURDER, MAYHEM AT THE
HIGHEST POSSIBLE LEVEL.
MARIA: UNBELIEVABLE.
>> AND YOU COULDN’T IMAGINE --
THIS IS AMERICA AND OUR BORDER
IS JUST BEING RUN OVER AND THE
FEDS ARE NOT STEPPING UP.