Democrat loyalist and CNN host Van Jones on Thursday heaped high praise on the conservative movement for becoming "the leader" on criminal justice reform.
In remarks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, Jones conceded conservatives have championed the fight on an issue once led by the other end of the political spectrum.
"The conservative movement in this country, unfortunately from my point of view, is now the leader on this issue of reform," the "Van Jones Show" said on stage alongside American Conservative Union head and CPAC organizer Matt Schlapp.
"Republican governors are being tough on the dollar, tough on crime, and shrinking prison populations," he said, adding: "You are stealing my issue."
"Take some dadgum credit for being smart," he told the crowd. "Take some dadgum credit for getting it right."
The remarks were posted by Mediaite.
He also made repeated calls for bipartisanship, Mediaite reported.
"I've never seen a bird fly with only one wing," Jones said, according to the news outlet. "We need each other."
It was not all a love fest, Mediaite noted.
Jones got booed when he noted "undocumented immigrants right now have a lower crime rate than the rest of us," a statistic supported by the Cato Institute.
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