Bush hits Trump as soft on crime

Jeb Bush is hitting back at Donald Trump, alleging that the GOP presidential front-runner has a record of being soft on crime.

Bush’s campaign pointed to Trump’s previous support for drug legalization, as well as the businessman’s donations to “soft-on-crime liberals” such as Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a press release on Monday.

The statement also references a note that Trump wrote to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) when she was sworn in as Speaker in 2007, calling her “the greatest.”

{mosads}“While Donald Trump was still supporting liberal, soft-on-crime politicians, Jeb Bush accumulated an eight-year record of cracking down on violent criminals as governor of Florida,” Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell said in a statement.

Bush’s presidential campaign released its attack hours after Trump blasted Bush over immigration.

Trump took issue with Bush’s characterization of illegal immigration sometimes being an “act of love” by people looking to provide for their families.

In a video posted to Instagram, Trump highlighted those comments. “Love? Forget love, it’s time to get tough!” text in the video says.

Bush has long been seen as the establishment favorite for the nomination, but Trump has vaulted to the front of the pack in a number of national polls.

Bush has previously gone after Trump as not being conservative enough to win the GOP presidential nomination.

“Mr. Trump doesn’t have a conservative record,” Bush said at a town hall in New Hampshire earlier this month. “He was a Democrat longer than he was a Republican. He’s given more money to Democrats than he’s given to Republicans.”

He has also called the real estate mogul’s immigration proposal as “not a conservative plan.”

Trump has also taken swings at his rival before, once suggesting that Bush’s Mexican-born wife was influencing his immigration policies.