Jeb Bush criticized both parties for putting politics over morality in their impasse on immigration reform, but saved his harshest comments for Sen. Marco Rubio's reticence, USA Today reported.
"God forbid you actually took on something that was controversial and paid a political price," Bush told USA Today. "That's the attitude in D.C. right now. Certainly Sen. Rubio is no different in that regard.
"Marco is a talented guy and he understands this issue really well, and maybe behind the scenes he's working hard. But at some point, his leadership would be really helpful," Bush said of his former protégé.
The former Florida governor also ridiculed President Donald Trump's campaign promises on immigration, saying it's a "dirty little secret" that none of it is going to come to fruition.
"We're not gonna build a wall; Mexico's not gonna pay for it; we have 11 million people who aren't gonna be deported," Bush told USAT.
"The notion that somehow you're gonna round up people, separate them from their families — that's the dirty little secret that people won't admit because the minute you put it on video — like I just did — you get creamed on Twitter. The haters come out in droves," Bush told USAT.
Regardless, Bush said Democrats and Republicans have got to put aside partisan politics and figure out the moral, economic and humanitarian issues of immigration.
"The left and the right have figured out that this is a great political wedge issue," Bush told USAT. "It's not a moral issue or an economic issue. It's purely an issue of, 'How do we poll this to make sure our team, our tribe, does better?'"
And that includes Trump's recent remarks disparaging Haiti and African countries, Bush said.
"When you call Haiti, whether it's a s-house or an s-hole, it really doesn't matter, you disparage a lot of people who love this country, who are here making a contribution and a difference," Bush said.
"He may not be a racist but the comments were racist. And at some point you gotta call him out on it. You're preying on people's fear and angst that the country is changing," Bush told USAT.
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