DEMS/GOP/PRISONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Friday [5-18-18] embraced a bipartisan prison reform proposal, but a sharp divide among Democrats on the issue threatens to undermine the deal. The discord was on display Friday as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York circulated a scathing letter accusing fellow Democrats of trying to tank the effort by waging an opposition campaign ‘riddled with factual inaccuracies.’ At issue is whether to move ahead with a more narrow overhaul or to hold out for a broader criminal justice bill that includes sentencing reductions. The letter came just hours before a White House prison reform summit spearheaded by the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, which was designed to promote the bill ahead of a crucial House floor vote expected next week. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence delivered remarks alongside Energy Secretary Rick Perry – whose home state of Texas is seen as a model of prison system overhaul – and liberal activist Van Jones, who supports the bill Jeffries helped negotiate…But other leading Democrats are fighting Jeffries’ approach, pushing for the sentencing reductions, which are opposed by the Trump administration. Jeffries’ rebuke came in response to a letter criticizing the narrower prisons bill circulated on Thursday [5-17-18] by Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), among others.”
-Heather Caygle and Elana Schor, “Trump pushes for prison reform bill that divides Democrats,” Politico, May 18, 2018 1:58 pm