Peter Schweizer, whose investigations exposed China’s unholy alliance with Mexican cartels in the deadly fentanyl trade, applauds the Trump administration’s actions to stem the trade as a necessary first step.
Appearing on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, Schweizer said the recent arrests and seizures by federal law enforcement of cartel members and thousands of pounds of chemicals was a long overdue step in unraveling the web of collusion between the cartels and China.
In his two most recent books, Red Handed (2022) and Blood Money (2024), Schweizer showed how China and its junior partners, the various Mexican drug cartels that produce and distribute fentanyl into the US, collude in Beijing’s scheme to undermine the United States. The Chinese produce the precursor chemicals for the drug, ship them to a port (Manzanilla) in Mexico that is operated by China, and dispatch it to chemical labs staffed by 2,000 Chinese chemists where the drug is manufactured. The Chinese sell the cartels — at cost — pill presses to turn the drug into pills, and the money made the cartels is laundered through Chinese state-owned banks.
“This is a strategy initiated by China to punish and damage the US,” Schweizer said. “I applaud the Trump administration not just for this operation to unwind part of the money-laundering aspect and the nature of it, but also the Approach on tariffs Which is saying you are going to pay a price with tariffs as long as you continue to put this poison in the United States.”
Fox News host Jason Chaffetz, a former congressman and also a GAI distinguished fellow, switches the topic to allegations against organizations run by George Soros. Reporters and GAI research has traced funding through Soros’s Open Society Foundations via the Arabella Advisors funding network to groups that have engaged in violence at protests against immigration enforcement in Los Angeles and elsewhere. There are now calls for investigation by the Justice Department of this funding activity, under the Racketeering and Corrupt Influence (RICO) statutes.
Schweizer noted there have been previous attempts to use RICO statutes to go after political disagreement as well as political extremism, such as against white supremacy groups in Mississippi. Unsuccessfully, he noted, the National Organization of Women tried to use it against pro-life groups.
“Whether it’s George Soros on the left, or Elon Musk on the right, both have the right to finance political activities,” Schweizer continued. “The question arises if you are funding organizations that engage in violent criminal conduct. Think, for example, of the Los Angeles riots and some of the groups behind that. Think about the attacks on Tesla dealerships that have taken place.”
He reminded Chaffetz of violent attacks that happened in Georgia in 2023. Rioters threw firebombs and attacked police at a police training facility under construction known as “Cop City.”
“The organizations behind it were funded by networks like the Tides Foundation and the Open Society Foundations, which George Soros funds,” Schweizer said. “If they are funding organizations that are known to engage in violent criminal conduct, can they be charged under RICO? I think there is precedent there and it’s something that should be looked at by prosecutors.”
“We want to have a very strong conversation in America about the future of our country, but we do not want wealthy individuals funding violent protesters that are tearing down our cities and harming law enforcement officers,” he said.
