Posted on 05/12/2017 6:32:06 PM PDT by Kaslin
WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Jeff Sessions' new memo for federal prosecutors to pursue harsher mandatory minimum sentences drew a quick rebuke from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who accused the administration of underscoring "injustice" against minority communities.
"It is a core principle that prosecutors should charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense. This policy affirms our responsibility to enforce the law, is moral and just, and produces consistency. This policy fully utilizes the tools Congress has given us. By definition, the most serious offenses are those that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences," states the memo in part.
"There will be circumstances in which good judgment would lead a prosecutor to conclude that a strict application of the above charging policy is not warranted. In that case, prosecutors should carefully consider whether an exception may be justified. Consistent with longstanding Department of Justice policy, any decision to vary from the policy must be approved by a United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General, or a supervisor designated by the United States Attorney or Assistant Attorney General, and the reasons must be documented in the file."
In a morning press conference, Sessions said prosecutors "deserve to be unhandcuffed and not micromanaged from Washington -- rather, they must be permitted to apply the law to the facts of each investigation."
"Going forward, I have empowered our prosecutors to charge and pursue the most serious offense, as I believe the law requires -- most serious readily provable offense. It means that we're going to meet our responsibility to enforce the law with judgment and fairness. It is simply the right and moral thing to do," he said.
"But it is important to note that unlike previous charging memoranda, I have given our prosecutors discretion to avoid sentences that would result in an injustice."
The attorney general added that "we know that drugs and crime go hand in hand. They just do. The facts prove that so."
"We're returning to the enforcement of the laws as passed by Congress. Plain and simple, if you are a drug trafficker, we will not look the other way. We will not be willfully blind to your misconduct," he said. "We are talking about, for example, a kilogram of heroin -- that's 10,000 doses of heroin on the streets. Five kilograms of cocaine, 10,000 kilograms of marijuana. These are not low-level drug offenders we in the federal courts are focusing on. These are drug dealers, and you drug dealers are going to prison."
Sessions did not take any questions from the media.
Paul, a longtime advocate for criminal justice reform in Congress, released a statement noting that mandatory minimum sentences "have unfairly and disproportionately incarcerated too many minorities for too long."
Attorney General Sessions new policy will accentuate that injustice," the senator said. "Instead, we should treat our nations drug epidemic as a health crisis and less as a lock 'em up and throw away the key problem.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder issued a statement slamming Sessions' announcement: "The policy announced today is not tough on crime. It is dumb on crime."
"It is an ideologically motivated, cookie-cutter approach that has only been proven to generate unfairly long sentences that are often applied indiscriminately and do little to achieve long-term public safety," Holder added.
If Holder had just a smudge of a real brain, he’d keep his mouth shut.
He isn’t an ex-POTUS would look absolutely stunning in prison orange.
Do tell
Illegal alien assaults 2 year old baby girl
https://www.resistfromday1.org/illegal-alien-assaults-2-year-old-baby-girl/
Holder was dumb on the law.
Like I care what Eric Folder has to say.
drew a quick rebuke from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
Sorry Rand. You can kiss their asses all day long and those minorities still wont like you.
Rand isn’t kissing the ass of Blacks, he’s kissing the asses of his media masters run by globalist money.
Law-abiding citizens of areas infested with gangs and drugs WANT violent offenders OFF THE STREETS!!!
Gosh! I wonder why crime rates have fallen so far in the past 20 years? Could it be due to the dumbass suggestions by Rand Paul and the Democrats?
Wow. No wonder they made Comey FBI director. I got a feeling he isn’t done testifying yet. Great article btw.
All criminals are likely to commit a variety of crime including violent crime. This is a way to take criminals off the streets with longer sentences and ALL crime will go down.
Enforcing laws against black criminality called “ideologically-motivated” by college ROTC building-occupier Holder. How precious.
I like that, “Wrong Paul.” I’ll enjoy using that, thanks. :)
“Dumb on Crime” Holder, who cursed the nation with the “Ferguson Effect” after distributing 1200+ guns to drug cartels and other violent criminals.
From “Fast and Furious” to the “Ferguson Effect.” What a record.
Yeah, F.U. Holder, go away!!
Maybe minorities should get out of the drug dealing...I mean the health crisis trade.
What is causing this 'street drug epidemic'? It is, of course, the Obama-Holder-Lynch decision to free the drug dealers.
If Mr. Just US, Eric “The Red” Holder was in prison (where he should be), these statements would be harder to obtain.
That’s because he is a criminal himself. Look past Fast and Furious and research the OKC bombing when Bubba sent holder who was an Asst US Atty in Washington DC out to “handle” the mess.
You said it.
That is correct
Crime rates have fallen? I don’t think so.
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