Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is calling on President-elect Trump and Georgia Congressman John Lewis to end their bitter public battle and focus on pursuing criminal justice reform.
“Instead of this bickering back and forth what I would like to find out is how we can still do criminal justice reform,” Paul told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday. “I still think there is some chance to reform our criminal justice system, and I’m willing to work with John Lewis on that.”
Lewis, a Democrat and civil rights icon, drew heavy criticism from Trump in a series of tweets Friday after he announced he would not attend the incoming Republican president’s inauguration. In a separate interview on Sunday, the Georgia congressman said that it will be “almost impossible” for him to work with Trump, and that he has no plans to extend an invitation to the president-elect to visit Selma, Ala., like many of his predecessors have.
“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results,” Trump fired back in a series of tweets.
Paul urged both men to “ignore” their partisan backgrounds and work together to bring change to American institutions they both view as flawed. The Kentucky senator also said he would be willing to work with Lewis on criminal justice legislation.
“I have a great deal of respect for him, but he’s a partisan and I disagree with him on issues,” Paul said. “But I should be able to honestly disagree with him and not have it all come back to, ‘I have no appreciation for a civil rights icon,'” Paul told Tapper. “I think that’s the part sometimes that’s unfair in all of this.”
