AG Moody: Biden ‘Paid More Attention’ to Camera Lady than Fentanyl During Remarks With Mexican President
July 13, 2022 Updated 2:16 P.M. ET
TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody slammed President Joe Biden for not putting enough focus on fentanyl trafficking in his meeting with Mexico President López Obrador Tuesday.
Fentanyl was the leading cause of death in the United States for people 18 to 45 in 2021. Moody said more than 200 Americans die every day because of fentanyl overdoses and the DeSantis Administration has long expressed concern to the Biden Administration regarding fentanyl coming across the southern border.
“We’ve been pleading with this administration to do more,” Moody said in an interview with Fox News. “And what did we hear about? Some operation that he’s been talking about since April.”
Both Biden and Obrador made public comments before their meeting. President Biden made a brief statement about fentanyl.
“And a very important point — another critical example is we are accelerating our efforts to disrupt the trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs that are literally killing,” Biden said. “Fentanyl kills people.”
The president then talked about an anti-smuggling operation underway since April that targets drug, weapon, and human trafficking. Biden said they made over 3,000 arrested and conducted 20,000 disruption operations.
Biden talked about his transportation efforts, increasing worker visas in Mexico for Central Americans, repatriation efforts, and human smuggling. The president also talked at length about the U.S.-Mexico relationship.
Moody said the president should have focused on seeking “real” cooperation with Mexican authorities to crack down on these drug cartels and super labs.
“He paid more attention. President Biden mentioned more times some, and I’m going to quote Biden, ‘lovely lady with a camera’ that kept distracting him than he did fentanyl,” Moody said.
“Meanwhile, President Obrador didn’t even address it. Said nothing in return about fentanyl focused on what his country could do in terms of producing their own energy.”
Moody is referring to President Biden who mentioned a woman taking pictures on several occasions during the public comments.
“Let me say one thing. I can’t get over how that lovely lady is holding that camera steady all this time. (Inaudible.) (Laughter.) It’s amazing. Sorry for the distraction.”
President Joe Biden
BIDEN: “And I’m going to find out how she holds that camera (inaudible). It’s amazing.”
OBRADOR: “This is a journalist from Mexico. She’s exceptional.”
BIDEN: “She is exceptional. Just holding that camera. (Laughter.) At any rate —”
You can read the full exchange between the presidents here.
