In his first interview since being released from prison on tax fraud and false statement charges, former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik had choice words about mandatory minimums for small amounts of cocaine. During a "Today Show" interview with Matt Lauer, he admitted that he "had no idea that for 5 grams of cocaine, which is what [a] nickel weighs, you could be sentenced to 10 years in prison." The former commissioner also talked race and rehabilitiation:

"Anybody that thinks that you can take these young black men out of Baltimore and D.C., give them a 10-year sentence for five grams of cocaine, and then believe that they’re going to return to society a better person 10 years from now when you give them no life-improvement skills, when you give them no real rehabilitation, that is not benefitting society."

Kerik served under New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani and once oversaw the country’s largest municipal jail system. He was a nominee for Homeland Security secretary before he was arrested. He was sentenced to four years in federal prison. 

h/t: Politico