Bill Barr warns China is 'knee-deep' in US fentanyl epidemic after bombshell report on CCP's influence
Former Attorney General Bill Barr reacted to a bombshell report detailing China's role in the fentanyl crisis, arguing the CCP is "knee-deep" in driving and even incentivizing the production and distribution of the deadly drug.
Barr, who testified before Congress on the matter Tuesday, addressed the scathing bipartisan report that found the Chinese are fueling and profiting off the opioid crisis in the United States during "America's Newsroom."
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"I don't blame people for trying to cooperate with China and trying to negotiate. We did, and, I don't blame this administration for trying, but it's clear that they're [China's] not acting in good faith," Barr said on Wednesday. "And when they do something, it's window dressing. They're knee-deep in this. They're active."
"The question all along is: are they just bystanders watching this traffic [and] just don't want to interfere because we're the ones being hurt? Or are they active sins of commission? And it's clear from this report that they're knee-deep in it," he continued.
"They are complicit in the trafficking, and they're driving the trafficking. They're incentivizing the trafficking."
The report found that under the leadership of the CCP, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) gives tax rebates and grants to companies that make certain fentanyl and synthetic drug precursors used by drug traffickers as long as they are sold outside of China.
"Through its actions, as our report has revealed, the Chinese Communist Party is telling us that it wants more fentanyl entering our country," said Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the special House committee. "It wants the chaos and devastation that has resulted from the epidemic."
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The report found that the Chinese government holds ownership interest in several companies tied to drug trafficking, and even thwarted investigations into illicit manufacturers by warning the targets of an investigation when U.S. law enforcement sent a formal request for assistance.
The committee also said the PRC has failed to prosecute fentanyl and precursor manufacturers, and found no evidence of new criminal enforcement actions by Beijing.
"They believe this weakens the United States, and it tells the world that we're a decadent society and that a disciplined society like China's the future," Barr said. "It distracts us, and so if it's bad for us, it's good for them."
Barr agreed that the role China plays in the drug crisis is an issue that will be on the ballot in November.
"The Chinese and the Mexicans give us happy talk. They're not cooperating," Barr told Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer. "They're both complicit in that, in the trafficking, in my opinion, and we have to start getting much tougher with them."
Fox News' Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.