Mitt Romney slams Hillary Clinton's call for 'mass incarceration' to end
Mitt Romney is apparently confused by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's approach to criminal justice reform.
In an interview with Fox News that aired Monday, the GOP former presidential candidate questioned Clinton's recent call to end the "mass incarceration that we practice." Clinton, the Democratic front-runner in 2016, made the comment in a wide-ranging criminal justice speech last Wednesday.
"What is she referring to?" Romney asked. "We don't have mass incarcerations in America."
Romney went on to explain due process and question whether Clinton wanted to imprison convicted criminals.
"Individuals are brought before tribunals and they have counsel, they're given certain rights," Romney continued. "Are we not going to lock people up who commit crimes? Is that what she's suggesting?"
The former governor also accused Clinton of politicizing the recent death of an unarmed black man, Freddie Gray, who suffered fatal injuries while in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department. In additional to high-profile protests, Gray's funeral triggered riots and violence in Baltimore.
"It was political in nature to get more support in the African-American community, and I think it was a big mistake on her part and simply wrong," Romney said.
This is not the first time that Romney has criticized a presidential candidate for allegedly politicizing issues to court minority voters. Following his 2012 loss, the former governor reportedly cited President Barack Obama's overwhelming support among young and minority voters as a result of policy "gifts" to those groups.
Sentencing and criminal justice reform is one of the few areas where presidential candidates from both parties have found common ground. Republican and Democratic White House hopefuls have both called for widespread reform, though their focus varies candidate-to-candidate.