Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik says he would have done a better job than others if he had been allowed to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security.
"I wanted the job because I thought, and I believe today, that I could have done a better job than most people in that position," Kerik said Monday on Fox Business Network's
"Cavuto."
It was his nomination in 2004 by President George W. Bush to serve in his Cabinet that brought scrutiny on Kerik and eventually led to his serving a four-year prison sentence for conspiracy and tax fraud. He was released last year.
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Kerik says he has no regrets, and still feels he would have made a positive contribution to the country.
"If you look at my past history, put all the scandalous stuff aside, I've had enormous successes in my career," he told host Neil Cavuto. "I can't be bitter these days."
His time in prison has turned Kerik into a crusader for fairer sentencing guidelines.
"You are punished for life if it's a felony. And even if you're given probation . . . the collateral damage from that felony conviction lasts you for the rest of your entire life," he said.
He can't work for government ever again, particularly in the security field.
But Kerik says to forget his problems. He says he is more concerned about teenagers who are convicted of first-time, low-level drug offenses.
"You stick them in prison for eight, 10, 15 years. Yet let them out, and, by some delusion, you think that's a benefit to society. It's not. You've turned these kids into monsters," he said.
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