Tom Cotton forced to backtrack on Senate floor after blaming Dems for criminal justice bill signed by Trump
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Wednesday got called out by his Democratic colleagues after he blamed them for a criminal justice reform bill that was signed into law by former President Donald Trump.
During a speech about crime, Cotton attacked Democrats for voting for the First Step Act, which reduced some mandatory minimum sentence penalties and aimed to reduce the size of America's prison population.
"It's your party who voted in lock step for the First Step Act, that let thousands of violent felons on the street who have now committed innumerable violent crimes," Cotton said.
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However, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) was quick to call B.S. on Cotton for trying to portray the First Step Act as a Democrat-only initiative.
"The First Step Act, the Republicans were in the majority!" Durbin shot back. "It was a bill sponsored by Sens. Grassley, Durbin, Lee, and many others! And who signed it into law? Donald Trump signed it into law, the so-called Democratic measure!"
In fact, the First Step Act passed on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis by a vote of 87 to 12.
After Durbin's speech, Cotton acknowledged Republicans had supported the measure.
"Yes, it's true that President Trump signed the First Step Act," Cotton replied. "It was the worst mistake of the Trump administration. Yes, it's true that a number of Republican senators voted for it -- they were wrong."
Watch the video below.
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