Former A.G. Bill Barr blames China for fueling U.S. fentanyl crisis

Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr delivered scathing testimony this week, accusing China of being the driving force behind America's devastating fentanyl epidemic.

During Tuesday's hearing before the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, Barr presented a 64-page report titled "The CCP's Role In The Fentanyl Crisis," reports the Daily Wire.

Barr stated that annual U.S. drug overdose deaths now surpass the number of Americans killed in the bloodiest year of World War II. "China produces nearly all the illicit fentanyl precursors used and the fentanyl introduced into the United States," he told lawmakers. "Without China's production and export of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors, there would be no fentanyl crisis in the United States and the mass slaughter would effectively stop."

“The CCP are not just bystanders. They are prime movers.

They are knee-deep in actively sponsoring, encouraging and facilitating the production and export of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors for distribution in the US.”— Former AG Bill Barr pic.twitter.com/jLYlXICWmx

— Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (@committeeonccp) April 16, 2024

The former attorney general alleged the Chinese Communist Party is "knee deep" and actively facilitating the production and export of fentanyl ingredients to the U.S. He cited a purported hidden Chinese government website offering "complete tax rebates incentivizing the export of all fentanyl analogs and precursors."

Barr claimed such tax incentives enable companies to "effectively operate tax free when they export fentanyl precursors." He also accused Beijing of providing grants and awards to firms engaged in synthetic opioid manufacturing.

"The key point here is that the PRC and the CCP have the capacity to shut this down," Barr told the committee. "This is taking place among a manageable number of companies in industrial parks in a modern surveillance state."

Barr further asserted he was unaware of any changes by China to curb malicious behavior fueling American overdose deaths since President Biden's meeting with Xi Jinping.