Rand Paul Meets with Al Sharpton on Crime Issues

Sen. Rand Paul and the Rev. Al Sharpton met for a “candid” breakfast date on Thursday.

“We talked about his position on dealing with some criminal justice issues that I am concerned about,” Sharpton said in a statement from the National Action Network, where he serves as president.

“We also discussed mandatory sentencing that he and Senator Cory Booker are proposing,” the statement continued. “It was a very candid and courteous conversation.”

Sharpton and Paul tweeted that they “don’t agree on much,” but both were in the Senate Dining Room to discuss working toward reforms that would benefit the African-American community.

“Sen. Paul and Rev. Sharpton discussed criminal justice reform, demilitarization of police, and the senator’s recent trip to Ferguson,” Paul’s spokesperson Eleanor May said in an email.

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Paul, who has talked about broadening the GOP’s outreach, has also set a goal to boost the African-American vote for Republicans from 6 percent in 2012 to 33 percent in 2016. {snip}

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