U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Sunday called on President Donald Trump to lobby Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to bring a sweeping prison reform bill to the Senate floor for a vote.
Appearing on "Meet the Press," Graham said the First Step Act has 80 votes in the Senate and would pass overwhelmingly if brought to the floor.
WATCH: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) urges President Trump to “pick up the phone” and urge Republican leadership to… https://t.co/a3QzgWdCWV— Meet the Press (@Meet the Press)1542557424.0
"We'll get most Republicans and almost all Democrats," Graham said.
"Mr. President, pick up the phone and push the Republican leadership. The Republicans are the problem here, not the Democrats."
Graham said the bill would pass over objections from Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. Cotton has warned that the bipartisan First Step Act will lead to the early release of dangerous heroin and fentanyl traffickers. He has also complained about a lack of transparency from Congress on the content of the bill.
There have been no hearings on this bill. Why are proponents afraid of hearings & letting members find out what’s in it? Maybe because it gives early release to “low level, nonviolent” criminals like those convicted of assaulting police, even with deadly weapons (USC 111(a))... https://t.co/lQnYGfF1o0
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) November 17, 2018
Or that it gives early release to “low level, nonviolent” criminals who steal passports & immigration docs from aliens who have been trafficked to keep them in captivity (USC 1592(a)). Hearings & open debate would bring needed daylight...
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) November 17, 2018
The "final" text of the FIRST STEP Act was only released yesterday, and details seem to continue to change. If it’s finalized & ready for a vote, why offer to keep changing it?
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) November 17, 2018
McConnell has told Trump the Senate is unlikely to vote on the First Step Act during the lame-duck session of Congress, given time constraints and a December 7 deadline for Congress to pass government appropriations bills.
Conservative Review has tracked the First Step Act, and CR senior editor Daniel Horowitz has written at length about the dangers of the bill, which include early release for drug traffickers and several troubling loopholes.
For more on the bill, start here.
