Craig Scott, a man freed from prison in 2019 by a criminal justice reform bill signed into law by the then-President Donald Trump, says the Republican presidential candidate’s mugshot gives him more “street cred” with those who have dealt with the justice system.
Scott, who describes himself as a former “Black Robin Hood,” a man who spent the early ’90s as a militant activist and bank robber who thought he was right in stealing from rich white-owned banks and giving the spoils to black cultural events, made the argument in a Newsweek op-ed column.
Scott describes his background in detail and notes he was sentenced to 52 years in prison under then-Senator Joe Biden’s 1994 crime bill, but later released by the First Step Act, signed into law by Trump in 2018.
The First Step Act was hailed in a bipartisan fashion as a first step to ending mass incarceration.
Trump declared the Act would “keep our communities safer, and provide hope and a second chance, to those who earn it.”
A breakthrough for representation: Criminals finally now see one of their own as president https://t.co/usKwNSxcWZ
— Christian Schneider (@Schneider_CM) August 25, 2023
RELATED: CBS Reporter Bombshell: Obama WISHES He Had Trump’s Record With Minorities
Former Prisoner: Trump Has More ‘Street Cred’ Now
Scott continued to analyze the irony of Trump’s situation with his own and with those of the “5,000 incarcerated people like me (Trump freed) from outrageous sentences.”
He suggested the justice system is now being wielded as a tool of political power for the Biden administration.
“The same criminal justice system that Trump made radical reforms to is now being used to discredit him and hamper his chances of winning the presidency for a second time,” he said.
A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia indicted Trump on 13 counts following an investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office into alleged efforts to “overturn” the 2020 presidential election.
The former President was arrested Thursday evening and had a mugshot published in an historic first. Trump posted the mugshot in his first tweet on X in over two years.
https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023
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Scott says this arrest, along with the other indictments, give he and other former prisoners something with which they can relate to the GOP candidate.
“Trump’s repeated run-ins with the law, and what seems like an unfair obsession with catching him and punishing him disproportionately for his so-called ‘crimes,’ reminds a lot of us of what was done to us,” he opines. “From where I’m sitting, the events of this week will only increase Trump’s ‘street cred’ — especially among formerly incarcerated voters.”
This mugshot will be the biggest backfire in history.
Already is. pic.twitter.com/ox9saeyYzG
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) August 25, 2023
RELATED: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’s’ Isaiah Washington Thanks Trump, Slams Obama For Not Supporting ‘Black Agenda’
‘He’s Literally Been In My Shoes’
The First Step Act was cited in a 2019 CBS News report suggesting even Barack Obama would be envious of then-President Trump’s record with minorities.
“It can be fairly said that this administration, because of President Trump’s quiet prodding, has done quite a bit for funding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the First Step Act, which was a massive first step toward criminal justice reform,” said reporter Major Garrett.
“Plus opportunity zones in the tax bill directed at communities of color,” Garrett added. “That is a legacy on the agenda side that almost any president after three years would want to claim, particularly President Obama.”
CBS News’ Major Garrett: President @realDonaldTrump has a policy legacy of helping minority communities that “any president…would want to claim” pic.twitter.com/H4G3JQbJpM
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) December 29, 2019
Scott, the self-proclaimed “Black Robin Hood,” explained further how Trump’s current plight – highlighted by his arrest and mugshot – provides him greater “street cred” with disproportionately incarcerated minorities.
“Many critics of Trump interpret his arrests as proof that he is unsuitable to return to the White House,” he writes. “But to my eyes, as I still struggle to repair my life from the damage of serving an unjust sentence, this is evidence that he may be just the right person for the job.”
“He’s literally been in my shoes. No other president can brag on that,” adds Scott. “And believe me, he will brag about it.”
Scott concluded his column by suggesting that making Trump “relatable” to millions who have had to deal with an at times unjust justice system will be an unintended consequence that could backfire on Democrats.
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