The people of California will continue facing the dangers of wildfires as long as they keep electing the same leaders, such as Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Rep. Jack Kingston said on Newsmax Sunday.
"If you look back historically, and I mean 10 years, they have voted time and time again to build new reservoirs and yet the governor hasn't moved forward with that," the Georgia Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend."
Newsom has "blamed it conveniently on environmentalists, but they have voted to spend billions of dollars on reservoirs. They haven't [built them]"
Further, California's leaders "turned their heads on controlled burns," he said.
"I own 60 acres, not a big piece of property, but every year I burn my underbrush so that I don't have fires like this," Kingston said. "It's common sense. If you know anything about land management, you do have to have controlled burns because it helps prevent something like this."
Kingston also noted that there is also a problem with looters in California as the fires burn, but he said that state leaders have signaled that such actions as shoplifting are "cool with us and looting is okay as well."
"They need to not just arrest these looters, but make an example of them," he added. "Let people know there's a new DA in town and the rules have changed. All of this stuff is so preventable….they are paying the price for what I would call their electoral negligence in not voting for people who have offered sound policy."
Kingston also spoke out about last week's sentencing of President-elect Donald Trump on charges of falsifying business records in New York. He did not get a jail sentence or fine but was given an unconditional discharge.
Kingston said the criminal charges filed against Trump were lawfare that ended up getting him elected.
"People are sick and tired of the Christopher Wrays and the James Comey political types running the FBI, the DOJ, the double standard," said Kingston. "They're tired of a Jack Smith who was a key adviser to the president but did not have Senate confirmation. All of this has backfired."
Meanwhile, it's important to keep House Speaker Mike Johnson in his position, rather than return control of the House to Democrats, said Kingston.
"The minute that gavel flips to the Democrats, they will start some sort impeachment and lots of investigations," he said.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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