Florida Republican Party Chairman Evan Power is criticizing state and federal licensing policies after a crash involving a non-English speaking truck driver that resulted in the deaths of three people on the Florida Turnpike earlier this month, telling Newsmax on Saturday that the accident shows the failures of Democrat lawmakers.
"It really goes to show the failure of the [Joe] Biden and Gavin Newsom administrations in allowing these people to work in this country when they can't follow the law. It costs three lives here in Florida," Power said on "The Count."
He added that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier would ensure the driver is "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
The crash occurred Aug. 12 when Harjinder Singh, an Indian national who entered the United States illegally in 2018, attempted an illegal U-turn with a semi-truck near Fort Pierce.
The maneuver led to a collision with a minivan that left three people dead, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Federal officials said Singh had failed an English proficiency and road sign test after the incident, answering only two of 12 verbal questions correctly and identifying one of four highway signs.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this week that California, Washington, and New Mexico violated federal rules in issuing or inspecting Singh's commercial driver's license.
Power accused Newsom, the Democrat governor of California, of misleading the public on driver licensing policies.
"We are not safer," Power said. "Obviously, here in Florida, we lost three people's lives because of it," he said.
Power also praised Uthmeier's handling of the case.
"He throws all of the resources of the Attorney General's office at these problems ... and he will not rest until every illegal alien is out of Florida," Power said.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has opened an investigation into Singh, the trucking company, and the states involved in licensing.
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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.