Nessel alarmed at Trump's comments pondering drug dealer death penalties

FOX 2 - While Donald Trump’s recent jab at Detroit — at the Detroit Economic Club — made national headlines, it was the Republican presidential nominee’s comment on drug charges and the death penalty that got the attention of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

What started as a softball question from the moderator: "What did you do with your children to make them so responsible and so involved in everything you do?"

"Very importantly, I would always tell them no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes," Trump said.

The conversation veered into Trump’s solution to shut down fentanyl and illegal immigrants to our country. Give convicted offenders the death penalty.

"With the death penalty, you would get rid of, you would eradicate drugs in this country," he said.

"Forty percent of those people who are convicted will be first-time offenders," Nessel said. "And their first time offending, you’re going to put them to death?" Nessel said. "I think that’s a little draconian in nature, and I think it’s really scary when they decide who to cast their ballots for."

Nessel posted on social media Monday about Trump’s death penalty idea.

She believes it’s a dangerous precedent and it wouldn’t just target illegal migrants but people in our Black and brown communities.

Check out these racial disparities in drug arrests:

Nationally — more than 60 percent of drug offenders who are in prison are Black.

Black men are 13 times more likely to go to prison than white men and 40 percent of Blacks are convicted compared to 25 percent of whites.

"I do think the policies that he espouses are racist in nature much of the time," Nessel said. "I think the same goes for this particular policy.

"It’s hypocritical in nature. Here you have a guy who has been convicted of 34 counts of financial-related crimes."

Kenneth Nixon is co-founder and president of the Organization of Exonorees, which works with ex-offenders.

"Personally, I think this is a horrible idea," said Kenneth Nixon.

"From the drug dealer perspective, we also know that there’s flaws in the system," Nixon said. "We’ve had mass exonerations in certain cities where officers are planting drugs on people."

FOX 2: "Given the work you’ve done with the Organization of Exonorees, what are some ideas you would toss out there as a better solution?"

"I think the better idea is treatment, resources. Most people that are selling drugs, the opportunity is there," she said.

For more information on the Organization of Exonerees, go HERE.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.