Posted on 10/25/2017 11:31:12 AM PDT by leaymane
Republican Ed Gillespie has come under attack from some public figures, who dispute his assertion that there are over 2,000 MS-13 Mara Salvatrucha gang members in Fairfax County, Virginia. Gillespie is currently running for governor in Virginia, and throughout his campaign, he has underscored his opposition to sanctuary cities by highlighting the presence of violent criminal gangs in Northern Virginia, including his home county of Fairfax.
In an attempt to debunk Gillespies MS-13 figures, Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler claimed this morning that there are in fact 1,400 MS-13 members in Fairfax County rather than 2,000 despite having stated himself that the plain fact is that no one knows how many MS-13 gang members are in Fairfax County.
Kessler appears to be trying a bit too hard to find reasons to slam Gillespie, without having the necessary substance to back up his own assertions. For one thing, Jay Lanham, a retired law-enforcement officer and former executive director of the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force ended up confirming Gillespies numbers to the Washington Post.
Lanham told WTOP in June that the number of MS-13 members was now over 5,000 easy in Northern Virginia. When contacted by the Post for Kesslers report, Lanham supposedly backed away from the number but still said he believed 2,000 MS-13 gang members for Fairfax County was probably pretty accurate as an estimate. This hardly serves as a refutation of Gillespies talking point.
But even if Kesslers 1,400 number is closer to the truth than Gillespies 2,000, thats still a disturbingly substantial figure. That many violent gang members for just one Virginia county is surely nothing to celebrate. If there are indeed 1,400 MS-13 members in the county, that would make the MS-13 population in Fairfax County equal to the population of the countys police force, a troubling statistic.
And the point of Gillespies remark clearly is not that he has somehow ascertained the precise number of violent criminal gang members in Fairfax County. Rather, his argument is that Northern Virginia is experiencing far too much violent crime, and that sanctuary cities which explicitly shelter illegal immigrants, including those convicted of felonies, from federal law enforcement would only exacerbate the problem. On that, he is undoubtedly correct, whether his or Kesslers estimate is closest to the correct figure.
So we can quibble the numbers by a few hundred, but WTF does that matter? 1,400 are just as destructive, just somewhat smaller in number.
Gillespie and Guadagno are going to win in two weeks.
Isn’t he a never Trumper? Will he work with the Donald?
Wow...didn’t know that the MS-13 guys were so willing to let the Census folks know that they were affiliated with this murderous troop.
I can hear FDR now...
“Oh, wait... It was only 360 Japanese aircraft that attacked our fleet at Pearl harbor? Well, nevermind, then...”
Hhaahhaha....1,400 instead of 2,000.....hahaha, well THAT will help people sleep better at nite!
Whatever the number of MS-13 gangsters there are in Fairfax County, Virginia, that number is way too many, thanks to your present Governor, low life, Obamabot /Clinton, lover, Terry McAuliffe.
Ed Gillespie is right on the money and...I would suggest that every legal registered voter cast their vote for Ed Gillespie for Governor on November 7, 2017, election day. Less that Virginians, with Democrat, Communist, Socialist, Ralph Northham as your new Governor, Virginia will become the California cesspool swamp. Make Virginia “Red” again...just like Make America Great Again......Vote, Republican!!!
Thank you, bammy!
What.....is that based on a tattoo count and checking with their parole officers?
That doesn't matter. A Gillespie win is good for Trump. So if all you care about is what is best for Trump, you vote for Gillespie.
Imagine the headlines on the day after Election Day:
Gillespie Wins: DEMOCRAT FALLS IN RACE IN WHICH HE WAS HEAVILY FAVORED. TRUMP WIN STREAK CONTINUES.
Northam Wins: DEMOCRATS TRIUMPH IN REPUDIATION OF REPUBLICAN PARTY AND TRUMP.
Even one MS-13 member is one too many.
2,000 versus 1,400? Is that a big enough difference to make a big deal out of it? In the Washington Post world, it is because Gillespie is a Republican. If law enforcement has identified 1,400 MS-13 members, I'm inclined to believe that 2,000 is more correct. That's not to disparage law enforcement, just recognizing the fact that MS-13 is a secret organization that doesn't print formal membership rolls.
“But even if Kesslers 1,400 number is closer to the truth than Gillespies 2,000”
At best its a crude estimate. But they don’t exactly register when they arrive. If all the government agrees that its 1400, the 2000 is perfectly rational to believe.
And the differences between 1400 and 2000 are at best...academic.
I have it on good authority that there are 57 MS-13 Gang Members in Fairfax County, Virginia!
I don’t know why this is complicated...
Simply print out the MS-13 Gang Membership List and count the pages. Multiply the number of names on the first page of the list by the number of pages.
What could be simpler?
> So we can quibble the numbers by a few hundred, but WTF does that matter? <
When the time comes (and it will), one less National Guard infantry company will be needed.
Exactly. It’s not like they know who every single gang member is.
So, Kessler has access to the MS-13 membership lists?
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