GOP lawmaker: Democrats more focused on impeachment than getting fentanyl off streets

Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) said Tuesday that Democrats are more focused on impeaching President Trump than getting fentanyl off the streets.

Lesko spoke to reporters as President Trump’s lawyers began their final day of opening arguments, saying she wants to “get back to doing the business of America.”

“I was in Judiciary Committee today in a hearing, and the scheduling of fentanyl substances is going to expire next week,” she told reporters. “The Democrats have done nothing about this.

“So instead of caring about the thousands and hundreds of thousands of people that are dying everyday from fentanyl and opioids, we’re dealing with this impeachment stuff,” she said.

9 more days until the ban on fentanyl expires.

Democrats are more focused on impeaching President @RealDonaldTrump than they are getting fentanyl off our streets.

People’s lives are hanging in the balance. Let’s get back to work on behalf of the American people. pic.twitter.com/gdadWSTE41

— Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (@RepDLesko) January 28, 2020

She added that she thought the House managers have “failed miserably” in attempting to prove the president committed an impeachable offense.

The Arizona congresswoman posted the video with a comment explaining that the deadline for the ban on fentanyl expires in nine days.

“People’s lives are hanging in the balance,” she wrote. “Let’s get back to work on behalf of the American people.”

Republicans have criticized Democratic lawmakers from both chambers, saying that the party is distracting Congress with impeachment instead of taking care of issues that Americans care about. But Democrats maintain the trial is important for the country and the system of checks and balances.

The Senate trial began last week after the Democratic-led Congress voted for articles of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress against President Trump.

The Drug Enforcement Agency has a ban on fentanyl-like substances, but that is slated to expire Feb. 6.

Lesko has worked on multiple bills to block illegal fentanyl, including a bill from December.