Prior to Joe Biden taking office, the untimely demise of those individuals occurred seven months earlier. Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene promptly capitalized on her remarks, falsely insinuating that if the Biden administration had effectively protected the border with Mexico, the youths would have survived.
Mr Biden then made light of the false accusation in comments to House Democrats at an event in Baltimore on Wednesday night.
During the last administration, the president said with a chuckle, “Well, it’s interesting that they came to realize before letting out that fentanyl is the thing: I’ve read recently that she was a very specific mother, a poor mom who lost two kids to fentanyl.”
During an interview with The Independent on Thursday, Ms Kiessling described the president’s comments as “repulsive”.
The pro-life activist from Michigan expressed, “What sort of individual speaks in such a manner?” He can joke around, assuming he is in the company of supporters, addressing a gathering consisting of Democrats. It reveals his true character, in my opinion.
Ms. Kiessling, an Independent, informed The Independent that she had received an avalanche of hate mail and social media attacks since her appearance before the select committee on Tuesday, which garnered national attention.
“It was unpleasant enough having to testify, and the House Democrats stating there was a lot of fear-mongering and xenophobia.
“Since that time, individuals have been spreading dreadful rumors that my sons took their own lives in order to escape from me.
She stated, “merely because a certain Congresswoman made an error in speech, the president ridicules the demise of my sons. And now that was already unacceptable.”
On July 29, 2020, 18-year-old Kyler Hills and 17-year-old Sophia Harris from Rochester Hills died after taking Percocet pills that were believed to be contaminated with fentanyl, according to Caleb Kiessling.
In September 2021, Lorenzo Brabo admitted culpability for unintentional killing and received a prison term of up to 15 years.
Ms Kiessling informed the select committee that she had no knowledge of fentanyl prior to her sons’ deaths. She mentioned on Tuesday that Kyler, who had recently graduated from high school and tragically passed away the day after, had written a paper advising fellow students to avoid drugs and alcohol weeks before his demise.
As per data provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the number of Americans who suffered from overdoses in 2017 reached 47,600, with opioid-related overdoses increasing by over two times since 2010.
In 2020, there was another notable rise with 68,630 recorded fatalities, and in 2021, fatal overdoses surged once more to reach 80,411.
As per Ms Kiessling, the fentanyl epidemic has been impeded by excessively partisan politicking, and past governments have been ineffective in tackling the problem.
In a video shared on Facebook on Thursday, Ms Kiessling stated that Mr Biden had been responsible for a 22 percent rise in fentanyl fatalities.
The number that represents the suffering of parents is doubled. That represents tens of thousands of citizens in the US who died, under an increase of tens of thousands.
Can you bring yourself to look into their eyes and laugh? Are you still going on, keeping yourself entertained by those who died laughing underneath you?
In her testimony to the Homeland Security committee, she urged Congress and the White House to demonstrate equal urgency, just as they did when the Chinese espionage balloon was taken down in US airspace last month.
She informed legislators, “No action is being taken and 100,000 people perish annually, yet everyone is panicking over it. No casualties occurred, and we possess a Chinese weather balloon traversing the nation.”
You are not protecting our children. You are giving them protection. You are welcoming drug dealers across our border. You talk about welcoming those seeking protection and crossing our border.
Ms. Kiessling, an Independent, told the select committee that she felt dismissive of the Democrats who had been calling for the strengthening of Mexico’s border, as she recalled her prior experience.
The Independent reported that she had mixed up the opioid matter with the Trump administration’s child separation policy, according to Bennie Thompson, the committee’s highest-ranking Democrat.
I was thinking that they can be reunited. Hundreds of thousands of our children have been separated from us, and these individuals are US citizens.
During his time as president, Mr Biden has presented himself as the chief source of comfort. In 2015, he suffered the loss of his son Beau, and in 1972, he experienced the tragic deaths of his first wife Neilia and baby daughter Naomi. In moments of sorrow and bereavement, he frequently relies on this personal background to provide solace to the citizens of America.
But Ms Kiessling said she was shocked by the callousness of Mr Biden’s remarks and called on him to issue and apology.
“He owes a sincere apology to all of the parents who have lost children to fentanyl.”
The Independent has reached out to the press office of the White House for a statement.