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A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 8 december 2018
Trump prods McConnell on sentencing bill: 'Go for it Mitch!'

By LISA MASCARO and caine offenses before Au-
KEVIN FREKING gust 2010 the opportunity
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen- to petition for a reduced
ate Majority Leader Mitch penalty. It also includes
McConnell's reluctance provisions to encourage
to hold a vote on a popu- education and workforce
lar criminal justice bill has training in prisons.
angered top Republican Roughly 90 percent of pris-
senators and created an on inmates are held in state
unusual rift with a long- facilities and would not be
time GOP ally, Sen. Chuck affected by the legislation.
Grassley of Iowa. And on While Kushner has been
Friday, it also brought on a meeting with senators on
tweet from President Don- Capitol Hill, Trump is also
ald Trump. hearing from allies who
"Hopefully Mitch McCon- are against the legislation.
nell will ask for a VOTE on Chief among them is Sen.
Criminal Justice Reform," Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who is
Trump tweeted. "It is ex- warning senators that Re-
tremely popular and has publicans will be blamed if
strong bipartisan support. It criminals are released and
will also help a lot of peo- commit new crimes.
ple, save taxpayer dollars, In this Oct. 6, 2018 file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., finishes speaking to "Only thing worse than early
and keep our communities reporters at the Capitol in Washington. release from prison of thou-
safe. Go for it Mitch!" Associated Press sands of serious, violent, &
Minutes later Grassley repeat felons is to do that
tweeted that he and the what's holding it up?" told Iowa reporters. now. He also indicated he in a spending bill with no
president had spoken For the 85-year-old chair- "I think I ought to have supports putting criminal debate or amendments,
about "the growing sup- man of the Judiciary Com- some consideration for de- justice reform bill on year- forcing senators to either
port" for the legislation. mittee, this is not the way livering on tough Supreme end spending bill which shut down government
"Pres Trump told me he the Senate is supposed to Court nominees, and a lot must include MORE wall or let felons out of prison,"
wants it done THIS CON- operate. Grassley was ex- of tough circuit court nomi- funding." Cotton tweeted Friday. The
GRESS," Grassley tweeted. pecting some deference nees and maybe even Trump has called senators spending bill will need ap-
Grassley has spent years from McConnell after de- once in a while you get a about the bill and spoke proval by Dec. 21 to avoid
working to build a coalition livering on Trump's judicial tough district court nomi- briefly about it Friday at an a funding lapse days be-
around the bill and is push- nominees — including two nee," Grassley went on. event on safe neighbor- fore Christmas.
ing for a year-end vote. now on the Supreme Court. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- hoods in Kansas City. Cotton and others, includ-
Grassley says more than Despite Trump's support for S.C., intervened Friday, The bill is a project of ing Sen. John Cornyn of
two-thirds of the Senate the measure, McConnell talking directly to Trump Trump's son-in-law, White Texas, No. 2 Senate Re-
supports it. But McConnell says it's divisive. His reluc- about attaching the crimi- House adviser Jared Kush- publican, insist there is not
is refusing to bring the legis- tance to take up Grassley's nal justice legislation to the ner, and would be the big- as much support for the bill
lation forward in a standoff priority shows the limits of must-pass year-end spend- gest sentencing overhaul in as Grassley claims. Cotton
that's dividing the Repub- the Senate's old-fashioned ing bill, which is already decades. It would reduce says senators may tell the
lican majority and putting customs in an era of height- tangled in a separate fight mandatory prison terms for chairman they're in favor of
President Donald Trump on ened partisan politics. over funds for the border certain drug crimes and it when actually they're not.
the spot. "What's so irritating about wall with Mexico. give judges in some cases The bill has support from
"We've done what needs this is, first of all, he and I "Just talked with President," more discretion on pun- several conservative and
to be done," Grassley said have been hand-in-glove Graham tweeted. "He ishments. It would allow liberal advocacy groups,
about the overwhelm- working to get the judiciary strongly believes criminal about 2,600 federal prison- uniting such disparate part-
ing support for the bill. "So vacancies filled," Grassley justice reform bill must pass ers sentenced for crack co- ners as the influential Koch
network and the American
Civil Liberties Union, but
Secret Service detail for Bush, code name 'Timberwolf,' ends it splits law enforcement
groups. It is backed by the
Fraternal Order of Police
COLLEGE STATION, Texas will be missed by all of us." and the International As-
(AP) — The U.S. Secret Ser- Agents served as honorary sociation of Chiefs of Police
vice has ended its detail pallbearers during some of but opposed by the Na-
for George H.W. Bush after this week's events honor- tional Sheriff's Association.
nearly 40 years of protect- ing the 41st president. On Amid this divide, McConnell
ing the former president, Twitter, the agency shared has been choosing cau-
who was known by the photos of when Bush tion, saying there's just not
code name "Timberwolf." shaved his head to support enough time to push the
The agency says its security an agent's 2-year-old son bill forward in the remain-
detail officially ended at who had leukemia. ing days of the Congress.
6 a.m. Friday "with no inci- Bush was buried next to "The question is, can you
dents to report" following his wife, Barbara, and their shoe-horn something that's
Bush's burial Thursday at his daughter Robin, who died extremely controversial into
presidential library at Texas of leukemia at age 3. Bush
A joint military honor guard carries the casket of former Presi- the remaining time?" he
dent George H.W. Bush after it arrived by a presidential funeral A&M University. In its final spokesman Jim McGrath said Monday in an inter-
train at Texas A&M University in College Station for burial at the notification , the Bush Pro- tweeted photos from the view at a Wall Street Jour-
George Bush Presidential Library on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. tective Division said: "You private service.q
nal forum.q