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Facing pressure, McConnell agrees to criminal justice vote

By MARY CLARE JALONICK es would make the nation’s ity for Trump’s son-in-law,
and KEVIN FREKING criminal justice system Jared Kushner, who has
Associated Press fairer, reduce overcrowd- worked behind the scenes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Un- ing in federal prisons and with supportive Republican
der pressure from President save taxpayer dollars. The senators over the last two
Donald Trump and many of bill would affect only fed- years and pushed Trump
his Republican colleagues, eral prisoners, who make to support it. It was also a
Senate Majority Leader up roughly 10 percent of top issue for former Presi-
Mitch McConnell said Tues- the country’s prison popu- dent Barack Obama, who
day that he will bring legis- lation. Several states have had hoped to see the bill
lation to the floor to over- passed similar laws that ap- become law before he left
haul the nation’s federal ply to state prisons. office.
sentencing laws. “It is an opportunity to cor- McConnell said he was
McConnell’s decision rect manifest injustices in moving the bill as soon as
comes after more than the system,” said Texas Sen. this week “at the request of
three years of overtures In this Oct. 6, 2018 file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch Ted Cruz, who signed on the president” and follow-
from a large, bipartisan McConnell, R-Ky., finishes speaking to reporters at the Capitol to the legislation last week ing improvements to the
group of senators who sup- in Washington. after supporters agreed legislation.
port the criminal justice Associated Press to make tweaks to guard The Senate’s most vocal
bill. Trump announced his violent criminals. ways concerned about the against violent criminals opponent, Republican Sen.
support for the legislation Texas Sen. John Cornyn, small window of time that being released early. Tom Cotton of Arkansas,
last month, but McConnell the No. 2 Republican, said we have to do all these “There are far too many said the revised legislation
treaded cautiously as a Trump’s push for the legisla- things we need to do, but young black men who find “still has major problems
handful of members in his tion was “critical to the out- the president was insistent themselves incarcerated and allows early release
caucus voiced concerns come.” that this be included,” he for years or even decades for many categories of seri-
that it would be too soft on “Sen. McConnell was al- said. based on nonviolent drug ous, violent criminals.” Cot-
If the legislation passes, it offenses.” ton said he will introduce
would be a major biparti- Republican Sen. Rand amendments to the legisla-
san policy achievement for Paul of Kentucky, another tion on the floor, suggesting
this Congress and the larg- supporter, said he thinks he could delay its passage
est sentencing overhaul in the legislation became “a as senators try to wrap up
decades. AshLee Strong, more consensus product” before Christmas.
a spokeswoman for House after Cruz’s tweaks were Senate Judiciary Com-
Speaker Paul Ryan, said, accepted and he an- mittee Chairman Chuck
“The House stands ready to nounced his support. Grassley, the legislation’s
act on the revised Senate “We’re going to have a lead sponsor, has not yet
criminal justice reform bill.” lot of people on board,” released the text of the leg-
Ryan has long supported Paul said. “And it’s the right islation. Louisiana Sen. John
sentencing reform and is thing to do.” Kennedy, a Republican
retiring at the end of the Democratic Sen. Cory who has also been skepti-
session. Booker of New Jersey, a cal of the bill, said he was
Most Senate Democrats leading proponent of the waiting to see it because
support the bill, which bill, said if the legislation is he wants to “try to figure
would revise 1980s and passed, it will have “a pro- out how many people they
‘90s-era “tough on crime” found effect on thousands are going to let go.”
laws to boost rehabilitation of families who have been While senators have been
efforts for federal prison- suffering as a result of this pressuring McConnell to
ers and give judges more broken system.” He said take up the bill for years,
discretion when sentenc- many of the bill’s benefi- the pressure ramped up in
ing nonviolent offenders. It ciaries would be African- recent weeks as the session
would attempt to focus the American. neared an end and sup-
toughest sentences on the Booker said the bill isn’t “all porters worried that Demo-
most violent offenders, low- the way there” in terms of crats taking the House ma-
ering mandatory minimum the sentencing reforms jority in January would want
sentences for some nonvio- that he and other Demo- to rewrite the bill. Kushner
lent drug offenses and re- crats would have liked, spoke with senators regu-
ducing the life sentence for but it would “take a step in larly — daily, in some cases
some drug offenders with the right direction and cor- — and appeared on Fox
three convictions, or “three rect the ills of the last 25, 30 News Channel’s “Hannity”
strikes,” to 25 years. years.” on Monday night, urging
Supporters say the chang- The bill has been a prior- McConnell to take it up.q