President Trump has reportedly declined to endorse a criminal justice reform bill crafted by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and top GOP lawmakers, citing concerns about its timing with the midterm elections right around the corner.
The president’s decision came during a White House meeting on the compromise package Thursday afternoon where Kushner, for whom prison reform has been a key priority, urged Trump to push for a vote on the compromise package before the November elections. The meeting included Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Brooke Rollins, an aide inside Kushner’s innovation office.
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Trump expressed concern during the meeting about endorsing the House-passed bill, which would approve funding for inmate training programs and reform sentencing guidelines for nonviolent drug offenses, according to Axios. The legislation has drawn criticism from Sessions and GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, Ark., a top Trump ally in the Senate.
Senate GOP leaders had already appeared reluctant to bring the bill to the floor, particularly as Republicans are focused on confirming Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But Trump’s nonendorsement on Thursday all but guaranteed that prison reform will be shelved until after the upcoming elections.
The Justice Department applauded the news.
“We’re pleased the President agreed that we shouldn’t support criminal justice reform that would reduce sentences, put drug traffickers back on our streets, and undermine our law enforcement officers who are working night and day to reduce violent crime and drug trafficking in the middle of an opioid crisis,” a Justice Department spokesperson said.
Earlier this month, Trump reportedly told members he was unfazed by the potential challenges of taking up a compromise bill on criminal justice reform months before the 2018 midterms.
“I don’t care about the politics; if it’s the right thing to do then we should do it,” he had said, according to Axios.
However, Trump has rapidly shifted his focus to immigration, tax reform, and the ongoing special counsel probe ahead of the fall elections. Senior administration officials made no mention of prison reform during a call with reporters earlier this week in which they discussed his midterm strategy and schedule.
