‘MINOR BRUISING’

Rand Paul Thinks Lynching Is ‘Awful’—but He Still Objected to Making It a Hate Crime

The Kentucky Republican said a bill that enjoys bipartisan support would “conflate lesser crimes with lynching.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Wednesday that he had objected to a bill making lynching a federal hate crime because he believed it would “conflate lesser crimes with lynching.” Paul said the bill would give those who inflict “minor bruising” a decade in prison. The bill currently enjoys widespread bipartisan support with the exception of Paul. He told reporters on Capitol Hill, “We think that lynching is an awful thing that should be roundly condemned, that should be universally condemned” but that the current version of the bill is “a disservice to those who were lynched in our history.” Because the bill was so popular, its sponsoring senators put it up for a unanimous consent vote, which allows the objection of a single senator to derail it.