Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) decided to play the fear card on Tuesday by suggesting that crime in the United States is out of control and that the country has a “major under-incarceration problem.”

In a tweet referencing a CNN article showing that crime rose in major American cities during 2020, Cotton called for putting more people in prison:

But as HuffPost reports, Cotton neglected to mention the underlying causes of the numbers he cited:

“The article explores a 33% increase in homicides last year, which could be attributable to any number of combined factors, including the deadly global pandemic, a devastated economy, high unemployment, entrenched poverty, civil unrest, changes in policing and distrust of police, rising homelessness and surging gun sales.”

Also, let’s not forget that the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 655 prisoners per 100,000 people. That’s light years ahead of the other nations that also put large numbers of their citizens in jail: El Salvador, Turkemenistan, and Thailand. Black and brown people make up a high percentage of the Americans currently serving time:

“Black Americans are significantly over-represented in prison based on population. Latinx Americans also make up larger shares of the prison population compared with the U.S. population as a whole.”

Cotton’s tweet drew harsh criticism on social media:

Tell us, Sen. Cotton, should Donald Trump be one of those we lock up for his many crimes, or are you willing to give him a pass for being a seditious traitor?

Featured Image Via NBC News