Sen. Marco Rubio continued his attacks on eminent domain Thursday, calling the practice an “abuse” while standing with the right to private property.
In an op-ed in Hot Air, Rubio said that private property “has been under assault for years” thanks to “government abuses” of the practice, which was first made a 2016 topic after Donald Trump called it “wonderful” Tuesday.
“Though it may not make headlines as often as other issues, the fundamental right to private property has been under assault for years through our government’s abuses of eminent domain,” Rubio wrote. “While this authority can be a necessary evil in rare cases related to public development, such as the building of crucial infrastructure, its modern use far exceeds this limitation.
“Today, it is often wielded by crony capitalist politicians to benefit wealthy and powerful private developers,” Rubio said, taking a shot at Trump.
The Florida senator, who ranks fourth in the Washington Examiner‘s latest power rankings, went on to tout his involvement in passing both a law and a constitutional amendment to protect private property owners from private developers using eminent domain.
While Rubio did not hit Trump directly in the piece, he said Wednesday that the real estate mogul is “wrong” on the issue. The 2016 hopeful is currently ranked fourth in the latest RealClearPolitics national average with nearly 10 percent support.
