John-
On a usual week, I update you on a wide array of policy matters rather than focus on a single issue. However, this week was a very unusual week and so this campaign brief will be quite different. I say unusual because it is not every day that a foreign head-of-state spends their entire week personally attacking a United States Congressman for legislation that would improve the safety and security of American citizens and the citizens of the country this head-of-state is supposed to represent. But that’s exactly what happened, as the President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) decided he would spend his week coming after me for daring to introduce legislation that would target the Mexican drug cartels which are terrorizing his citizens and killing more than 70,000 Americans every year with fentanyl. President AMLO also did this the same week two Americans were killed by a Mexican cartel shortly after they entered Matamoros, which sits just across the Texas-Mexico border, for a medical procedure.
That’s why I want to devote the entirety of this campaign brief to that issue: my bills to target the cartels. I’m going to explain exactly why I am doing this and what my bills do, debunk the lies of Mexico’s President and top leaders of the Mexican government (who also attacked me), and expose just how determined President AMLO is to stop me. At the end of the campaign brief I am going to outline exactly what you can do to help me in this effort and ensure we seize on this opportunity to finally take action against the Mexican drug cartels.
As always, thank you for your support. Now let’s get started.
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MY LEGISLATION AGAINST THE CARTELS IS NOT PARTISAN |
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In a closely divided Congress, opportunities for bipartisanship are rare. That’s why we should seize those opportunities whenever possible, because that’s the only way anything is going to become law in a divided government. I believe my legislation to target the cartels is an excellent opportunity for bipartisanship. Let me explain why.
1. These bills are very simple. They are specifically focused on the threat from the Mexican drug cartels and improving our capabilities and authorities to target them. One bill authorizes the use of military force against the cartels, so that we can work by, with, and through the Mexican government (just like we do with any host government when we have military authorities in their country) to assist them with all of the military resources at our disposal (including intelligence gathering and sharing). The other bill I’ve introduced would hit the cartels where it hurts: their wallets. My legislation would seize the cartels’ assets and would also sanction and deny aid to foreign governments that coordinate with cartels or do not take the necessary action to stop cartel activity in their own countries–Mexico is an obvious example. It would also authorize increased punishment for anyone convicted of aiding cartel-related crimes by adding up to 20 years to their sentence and naturalized citizens could lose their citizenship if they are convicted. These are narrowly focused bills on an issue that both Democrats and Republicans have publicly acknowledged is a threat.
2. These bills are also not inherently partisan as they do not wade into other divisive issues. I purposefully do not address immigration reform or border security in either bill, because we are never going to bring Democrats to the table on those issues in divided government. Obviously, I believe we need to improve border security and have introduced legislation to give our Border Patrol more resources, fix the problems within our asylum laws that encourage illegal immigration, and increase penalties against those who come into our country illegally. However, with Democrats still in control of the Senate and with a Democrat president in the White House, we need bipartisan support for any legislation to become law and my top priority is getting legislation enacted that would take on the criminals killing 70,000 Americans every year with fentanyl.
3. Finally, the fentanyl crisis is one that impacts every single community and every single congressional district in this country. And there is bipartisan acknowledgement that the fentanyl crisis is being fueled by the Mexican drug cartels. The fentanyl crisis is an issue that gets national attention across the political spectrum–both Fox News and CNN run regular segments on the fentanyl crisis because it is impossible to ignore. That’s why every single time I talk about these bills I frame it in a way that describes my legislation as a solution to the root cause of the fentanyl crisis, which is the trafficking of this illicit, deadly narcotic into our country by cartels just south of our border.
This is a common enemy that every American should want to defeat. Every policymaker, regardless of their political affiliation, should be joining legislation like mine. Stopping the Mexican drug cartels from killing Americans offers a unique opportunity for immediate bipartisan progress.
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As President AMLO went on his tirade against me, he based his arguments against my legislation on two main lies: 1) that the fentanyl crisis is America’s fault, not the fault of Mexico or the Mexican cartels and 2) that my legislation would mean an immediate invasion of Mexico by America’s military. I’ll debunk both of these lies.
First, President AMLO said that if there was not a demand in the United States for fentanyl there would be no incentive for cartels to supply it. That is absurd: the supply of fentanyl creates the demand. Using chemical precursors from China, the cartels manufacture this narcotic that is 100 times more powerful than morphine. They traffic it into the United States with ease, both at points of entry and in between points of entry. Fentanyl is extremely addictive, which is why the cartels lace it into street drugs–if more people are addicted to their product, they will continue to buy it. Moreover, the primary reason young people overdose from fentanyl is because they have no idea they are taking it. These kids think they are taking common street drugs like Xanax or OxyContin or Adderall that happen to be laced with deadly levels of fentanyl.
AMLO also had the audacity to claim that fentanyl doesn’t even exist in Mexico, that it isn’t produced or consumed in his country. Even AMLO’s own military debunks that claim. Back in February, the Mexican army announced it seized more than a half million pills of fentanyl in the largest synthetic drug lab found to date. The army discovered the fentanyl lab in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state, which is controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexican security analyst David Saucedo said “the president is lying. The Mexican cartels, above all the CJNG ( Jalisco New Generation Cartel) and the Sinaloa Cartel have learned to manufacture it.”
And AMLO’s claim about my bill is patently absurd. My bill doesn’t mean that American tanks or American troops are going to roll into Mexico. Rather, my bill authorizes the military to work with the Mexican government to target these cartels that are terrorizing BOTH of our citizens. We simply have more military resources and intelligence capabilities than Mexico’s military, and we want to use those resources to help Mexico get rid of this problem in their country. Furthermore, my bill is specifically targeted toward the drug cartels. It is narrowly targeted against:
- Those who produce and traffic fentanyl into our country.
- Those who attack United States law enforcement or our military.
- The Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas Cartel, and the Juarez Cartel.
My legislation would also sunset five years after enactment so that it is not a continuous authorization. Congress would have to come back and reauthorize my bill for it to continue.
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AMLO IS PLANNING ON INTERFERING IN OUR ELECTIONS TO STOP ME |
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President AMLO is so against my efforts, that he promised to engage in a public relations campaign within the United States against my bills to fight the cartels and “make a call to not vote for '' anyone that supports my legislation. That is clear intent to interfere in our elections by a foreign head-of-state, which is illegal.
AMLO is also pressuring other high-level Mexican officials to attack me. The leader of the Mexican Senate attacked me earlier this week and the Mexican Senate Foreign Relations Commissioner issued a full page of lies and smears against me and my legislation.
Frankly, I take their attacks as compliments. It means we are doing the right thing and that leaders in Mexico are finally taking notice.
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The bottom line is this: My efforts are aimed at improving the lives of both American citizens AND Mexican citizens. The Mexican people want to stop the cartels as much as we do because they’ve experienced firsthand how these cartels have terrorized their communities, murdered their family members and neighbors, and corrupted every government institution they rely upon for a well-functioning society. Mexico is teetering on the edge of becoming a failed narco-state if they do not eradicate the cartel threat. Mexico’s leaders need to stop spending their energy attacking me and turn their energy toward taking down the cartels who are destroying their country, their security, and their vital relationship with the United States. |
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This is my top priority in Congress right now and I am doing everything in my power to get these policies across the finish line, despite the threats from President AMLO. If you agree with my efforts and would like to offer your support, here’s how you can help:
SIGN THIS PETITION: Sign your name on this petition to call on Congressional leaders to bring my cartel bills to the floor for a vote.
CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATORS: Whether you’re represented by a Democrat or Republican in Congress, call their office and tell them to co-sponsor my bills. The more support (especially bipartisan support) we can get for these bills, the better chance they have of becoming law.
DONATE: With Mexico’s President promising to wage a public relations campaign to defeat me in my election, I need to ensure I have the financial resources necessary to fight back. Any amount helps when you’re up against a foreign head-of-state, so if you could chip in $5, $10, $25, $100, or the maximum amount of $3,300 I can fight back against foreign interference in my election by AMLO and cartel money.
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That’s it for this brief and your support |
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If you'd prefer to donate by check, please make your check payable and mail to: Dan Crenshaw for Congress, 5900 Memorial Drive, Suite 215, Houston, TX 77007.
Any questions, comments, or concerns? Simply reply to this email or give Team Crenshaw a call at 281-888-4016.
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PAID FOR BY DAN CRENSHAW FOR CONGRESS |
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