Passing legislation to ease mandatory minimum sentencing is one of just a few bills that actually has a chance of being enacted during the final year of Barack Obama's presidency. But not on Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton's watch! No way, no how. He's been lobbying his GOP colleagues against the legislation, which cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee last year with a rare show of bipartisan support. Seung Min Kim reports:
“It would be very dangerous and unwise to proceed with the Senate Judiciary bill, which would lead to the release of thousands of violent felons,” Cotton said later in an interview with POLITICO. “I think it’s no surprise that Republicans are divided on this question … [but] I don’t think any Republicans want legislation that is going to let out violent felons, which this bill would do.” [...]
Conservatives opposing the legislation are coalescing around Cotton’s view — despite strong pushback from bill supporters — that the measure could lead to the early release of people convicted and imprisoned for violent crimes. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), once a supporter of easing mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenders, has also made this argument. And there’s stiff resistance in pockets of the Republican Party to do anything that might erode its tough-on-crime reputation.
This pits Cotton against well-known lefty Republicans like Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who both back the bill and vigorously deny that it would release violent criminals. C'mon—this is just more hoo-ha from Cotton, a more dainty yet angrier grandstander than Ted Cruz. Don’t worry though. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is being his usual vision of leadership in the face of adversity.
And last week, McConnell — who is often hesitant to press ahead on issues that divide his 54-member conference — indicated a breather of sorts on the bill, saying GOP senators would take some time to get educated on the measure.