AG pick to reassure senators he backs sentencing overhaul
Posted Jan 11, 2019 10:43 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee will assure lawmakers he supports a sweeping criminal justice law that eases federal sentencing rules, even though he pushed tough-on-crime policies for decades.
A person familiar with the confirmation process tells The Associated Press that William Barr will tell members of the Senate Judiciary Committee he supports the recently-passed First Step Act. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Barr was attorney general in the early 1990s. He advocated building more prisons, making penalties more severe and swift and using laws to keep criminals behind bars longer.
He also opposed a 2015 bill that contained many of the same key elements as the First Step Act.
Barr’s confirmation hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press
