Trump-Endorsed Blake Masters was the only one asking real questions on last night’s Arizona Clean Elections debate stage.
Blake Masters slammed Mark Kelly Thursday night for voting to hire 87,000 more IRS agents to go after hard-working Americans and small business owners while simultaneously voting against hiring 18,000 new border patrol agents in the massive $740 billion Bidenflation bill. “Mark Kelly left our southern border wide open and voted for all the trillions in spending that caused this massive inflation,” Masters told the voters.
Kelly responded, “I’ve worked hard to make sure we have the money, so we have more Border Patrol patrol agents on the ground. And that’s what we have today.”
What we have today is a wide-open southern border crisis and a deadly fentanyl crisis.
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What we have are 87,000 new IRS agents and massive inflation. And the worst inflation in the country can be found in Phoenix, Mesa, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Gateway Pundit recently reported that over one million deadly fentanyl pills were seized from an Arizona home. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Fentanyl is 50-100 times stronger than morphine.
This much fentanyl could likely kill millions of Americans.
Masters then asked Mark kelly, “did you or did you not vote to reject 18,000 more Border Patrol agents in the inflation Reduction Act passage?” Mark Kelly fumbled his words and refused to admit that he voted against hiring 18,000 new CBP agents at our southern border.
“There it is right there,” said Blake Masters.
After Mark Kelly lied and said he was “strong on border security,” moderator Ted Simons spoke for Kelly and accused Masters of “cherry picking.”
Masters reiterated the facts and came back with another question that Kelly failed to answer.
“Have you done everything in your power to secure our southern border?” Masters asked. It’s a yes or no question, but Mark Kelly gave a more complicated response because he has not done everything in his power.
Kelly has, in fact, repeatedly voted against border security, including voting against an amendment that would stop Biden from canceling existing border wall contracts numerous times and voting to end Title 42 — a Trump-era order blocking asylum seekers at the US border to protect public health. Fentanyl affects public health in America, but the Democrats don’t care.
Masters said he believes we need to build a wall and double the size of Border Patrol.
When the moderator asked Blake Masters how we would know that the border is secure, Blake told him, “call me old-fashioned, but I think the correct amount of illegal immigration is zero... We’re losing 2000 Arizonans every year to fentanyl. This stuff is poison. It’s coming right there up through the southern border. And Mark Kelly and Joe Biden have not done a single thing to stop it.”
Masters also highlighted the fact that the Democrats have welcomed this invasion on our southern border by incentivizing people to break the law, giving them refuge in free hotel rooms in Scottsdale, and treating them better than we treat our US military members.
Kelly finally did admit that the border is “chaos,” unlike Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who are still trying to sell the idea that “the border IS secure.”
The Gateway Pundit reported on the full debate, which can be found here.
Watch this segment of the debate below.
Masters: The people of Arizona know that those 87,000 IRS agents that you’re sticking on them, they’re not just going after billionaires. They’re not just going after big business. They’re going to be auditing you. They’re going to be auditing your small businesses this time next year. Senator Kelly voted for 87,000 new IRS agents in the Inflation Reduction Act. But to do that, first, he had to reject — there was an amendment — he rejected hiring 18,000 more Border Patrol agents. Mark Kelly said no to 18,000 more Border Patrol agents, but yes to 87,000 new IRS agents. That shows you what his priorities are. Mark Kelly left our southern border wide open, voted for all the trillions in spending that caused this massive inflation, and he thinks the fix is 87,000 new IRS agents. Something tells me that’s not going to work out.
Simons: Mark, go back to the idea of IRS agents over border agents.
Kelly: Well, you know, I’ve spent a lot of time on our southern border, and let me just say, it’s a mess. It’s a chaos. It’s crisis after crisis. I worked in Washington to bring more Border Patrol agents to the state of Arizona. A billion dollars for staffing and security, security and monitoring systems. So this premise that he’s taken voting against Border Patrol agents, I’ve worked hard to make sure we have the money, so we have more Border Patrol patrol agents on the ground. And that’s what we have today.
Masters: Did you or did you not vote to reject 18,000 more Border Patrol agents in the inflation Reduction Act passage?
Kelly: You know we we…
Masters: There it is right there.
Kelly: There are votes that happen in DC that have nothing to do with border patrol agents, and it might have the title on it, and nothing happens. So what I have done is I got a billion dollars more for Border Patrol agents for staffing. You know, for the technical systems to monitor the border and where they make sense to build more Border barriers at the southern border. That’s my record, which is I’ve been strong on border security, and I’ve stood up to Democrats when they’re wrong on this issue, including the President. You know, when the President decided he was going to do something dumb on this and change the rules, you know, that would create a bigger crisis. I told him he was wrong. So I pushed back on this administration multiple times. And I’ve got more money on the ground to increase Border Patrol staffing, technology, and where it makes sense to build more barriers.
Simons: It sounds like he says you’re cherry-picking here.
Masters: He voted against hiring 18,000 more Border Patrol agents, and then said yes to 87,000 new IRS agents. I’m sure we’re going to talk more about the border. I just want to ask one question. Have you done everything in your power to secure our southern border?
Kelly: I’ve been focused on the border since day one on this job. I’m down there all the time. I was on the phone this week, just you know, with Mayor Nichols of Yuma, Sheriff Dannels of Cochise County, talking about what more we need for Border Patrol and immigration.
Masters: That, my friend, is called an invasion
Kelly: We’re working to raise Border Patrol pay by 18%. I’ve got legislation to do that. I’ve been focused on the border since day one.
Masters: With no great effect because we have a wide-open southern border. So if that’s the best you can do, I respectfully request you resign, and let’s get someone in the seat who will actually secure our border.
Kelly: Washington DC has failed on this issue of border security and immigration for decades. And it’s been crisis after crisis. I’ve been focused on this since day one, you know, and I brought more resources here to the state of Arizona to deal with this issue.
Simons: Immigration reform. I hear border security mentioned a lot you have mentioned border security. You want to secure the border. How would you know when the border is secure? How do we know when the border is secure?
Masters: Call me old-fashioned, but I think the correct amount of illegal immigration is zero. That’s what Federal law says. The problem is that Joe Biden and Mark Kelly are willfully ignoring federal law. They’ve surrendered our southern border. They’ve given it up to the Mexican drug cartels. We had operational control two years ago. And now it’s just a complete disaster. They incentivize people to break the law. Illegal aliens when they come here. They’re supposed to be caught and deported back to their home country or back to some other country that wants them. But no, Joe Biden and Mark Kelly, they laid out the welcome mat. This is the greatest country in the history of the world. If you invite everybody to come here, you’ll create a crisis. And so 5 million illegals, literally 5 million, have come here in the last 22 months. Joe Biden and Mark Kelly have welcomed them. When these people cross, they know not only will they not be deported, but they’re given envelopes with cash, plane tickets; here’s a hotel room in Scottsdale. We treat these people better than we treat our own US military service members. I find that shameful. 300,000 come through every month. It’s a humanitarian disaster. The women and children are raped. The men are indentured servants sold into some kind of slavery. And it’s not just the people it’s the drugs. The fentanyl that’s coming through, it’s killing kids. We’re losing 2000 Arizonans every year to fentanyl. This stuff is poison. It’s coming right there up through the southern border. And Mark Kelly and Joe Biden have not done a single thing to stop it. It is carnage, and so I think we should secure the border. That means a wall, it means doubling the size of border patrol, and it means let’s get back to deporting people who try to break into our country. Something that Mark Kelly routinely votes against.