AP source: Trump to back major rewrite of sentencing laws

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is planning to support the first major rewrite of the nation’s criminal justice sentencing laws in a generation, a senior White House official said Wednesday.

Lawmakers reached an agreement this week on legislation that would boost rehabilitation efforts for federal prisoners and give judges more discretion when sentencing nonviolent offenders, particularly for drug offences.

The senior official said Trump was briefed on the deal and plans to support it publicly during an event at the White House on Wednesday afternoon. The official, who is familiar with the president’s plan, was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Criminal justice reform has been a priority of Trump’s son-in-law, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner. Trump is expected to push for swift passage of the legislation, potentially during the lame-duck session of Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. was cautious about the bill’s prospects. He told reporters Wednesday that GOP leaders would do a whip count to gauge the bill’s support once they have a final proposal in hand.

Still, he noted the Senate has other things it needs to accomplish in the final weeks of the year, including funding the government and passing a farm bill. He said Republicans would have to see how the criminal justice bill “stacks up against our other priorities.”