Newt Gingrich, the Times tells us, also has some misgivings about the GOP’s long-time support for certain policies — e.g., mandatory-minimums, controversial policing practices, and the general rise of the carceral state — that are now being scrutinized in the popular press as policy failures (though scholars from many social science disciplines have been calling attention to these issues for some time). Charles Koch, the famous libertarian donor-cum-fundraising ringleader, also plans to highlight criminal justice issues this year.

However, other Republican opinion leaders like John Bolton dismiss this rethinking:

“What some who call themselves libertarians are doing, whether it’s on national security or these other issues, is in reality much closer to the Democrats, and that’s why they’re getting such national attention,” said John R. Bolton, a former United Nations ambassador, in a phone interview, saying Mr. Paul “has a lack of history and education” on crime-related issues.

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