Liberals Tear Into Van Jones For Saying Conservatives Are ‘Now the Leader’ on Criminal Justice Reform

Liberals Tear Into Van Jones For Saying Conservatives Are ‘Now the Leader’ on Criminal Justice Reform

This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference began on Thursday and besides featuring the usual mixture of right-wing grifters, fringe figures, and Republican power players, liberal CNN political commentator Van Jones popped up to engage in his standard “reaching across the aisle to heal the nation’s wounds” bit. And it turned out as well as his previous attempts.

Jones, who worked with Trump son-in-law/White House senior adviser Jared Kushner on a criminal justice reform bill that passed late last year, told the CPAC audience Thursday that conservatives needed to “take some dadgum credit” that they were “now the leader” on the issue of criminal justice reform.

Furthermore, Jones told the audience that he’d never seen a bird fly “with only a left wing,” letting the conservative audience know that “we need each other.”

Considering that this had long been an issue championed by the left and Republicans had blocked attempts to get a bill passed that would overhaul sentencing laws and guidelines before this recent bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, progressives and liberals were less than thrilled that Jones pandered to the CPAC crowd by telling them conservatives were leading on the issue.

Progressive radio host and MSNBC analyst Zerlina Maxwell reminded Jones that Black Lives Matter had been in the streets for years getting teargassed fighting for racial and social justice, chastising him for going to CPAC to credit conservatives on criminal justice reform.

Media Matters’ Parker Molloy merely said “Van Jones kind of sucks.”

ShareBlue writer Oliver Willis noted that Jones has been praising Trump and conservatives for a while now.

Above the Law’s Elie Mystal assured his Twitter followers that he won’t be trying to become famous by going to CPAC like Jones.

Other libs and progressives took part in the trashing of Jones:

We patiently wait for the former Obama administration official to redeem himself to the left by delivering some over-the-top commentary on Trump that will result in right-wing media going ballistic.

Justin Baragona

Justin Baragona is the founder/publisher of Contemptor and a contributor to The Daily Beast. He was previously the Cable News Correspondent for Mediaite and prior to starting Contemptor, he worked on the editorial staff of PoliticusUSA. During that time, he had his work quoted by USA Today and BBC News, among others. Justin began his published career as a political writer for 411Mania. He resides in St. Louis, MO with his wife and pets.

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