The architect behind Congress‘ last successful criminal justice reform bill said that President Biden is ‘right’ not to veto the GOP-led D.C. crime bill that overrides local law.
On Thursday President Biden took Congress by surprise in announcing he would not block changes to Washington, D.C.’s new criminal code – just days after his administration blasted the proposal as a violation of ‘home rule.’
‘I mean, honestly, it’s the right thing to do,’ Ja’Ron Smith, the highest-ranking black Trump aide and former head of the Office of American Innovation, told DailyMail.com in an interview.
‘The way that DC was doing it is the wrong way to do,’ said Smith, one of the key leaders on the First Step Act.
Smith, a D.C.-area resident, said he had ‘huge concerns’ with the city’s crime bill, which overwhelmingly bested a veto from Mayor Muriel Bowser. ‘It’s another example of progressive individuals out of touch with these communities, creating incentives for more crime.’
The citywide legislation would nix mandatory minimum sentencing and lower maximum penalties for crimes such as carjackings and robberies. It also allows nearly all misdemeanor charges the right to a jury trial.
‘I think we need to be a lot more nuanced and how we handle the criminal justice system, specifically on nonviolent criminals,’ Smith said.
I mean, honestly, it’s the right thing to do,’ Ja’Ron Smith, the highest-ranking black Trump aide and former head of the Office of American Innovation, told DailyMail.com in an interview
Sparse crowd at CPAC’s second full day on Friday
‘But there certainly needs to be a lot more accountability with violent criminals, but also our ways of thinking about crime prevention, by access to opportunity, by investing in police officers, and technology around policing.’
Some House Democrats said felt hoodwinked by the president, voting against the legislation because they believed the president would veto it. Progressives said Biden’s veto would fly in the face of his push for D.C. statehood.
The First Step Act aimed to cut some federal sentences and improve conditions in federal prisons.
In a provision known as compassionate release, it was meant to free people who are terminally ill in federal prison or who pose little to no threat to society. However, data shows judges are roundly denying many compassionate release requests.
It also allowed those who were in federal prison for crack cocaine offenses and were sentenced prior to 2010.
Smith spoke with DailyMail.com ahead of speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a yearly gathering of the biggest names in conservative politics.
But a number of GOP heavyweights are notable absent this year – Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell are not on the agenda, and neither are potential 2024 candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or Vice President Mike Pence, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin or Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
The yearly conference is usually a place for aspiring GOP stars to test their appeal with the base, raising questions over whether the conference’s influence is waning as organizer Matt Schlapp is facing sexual assault allegations.
Smith said not to read into the absence of some big names.
‘There’s a lot of things going on at once, you know,’ he said. ‘There’s other conventions that’s happening around the country, and those are members that attend CPAC pretty regularly, so I wouldn’t look at it that way.’
Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio surrounded by Democrats, Smith said he had been taught all Republicans are ‘rich racists.’
‘The way that DC was doing it is the wrong way to do,’ said Smith, one of the key leaders on the First Step Act
‘But I’ve always been a conservative I just didn’t know it,’ he said.
The former White House adviser finds himself at a crossroads, having worked for not only Trump but two other potential presidential contenders – Pence and Scott.
He said he hasn’t given much thought to who he wants to see at the top of the ticket in 2024.
‘I’m more so trying to do the work on the ground,’ said Smith.
‘What’s most important, at least for my leadership, is regardless who comes out of that primary, that you’re following that playbook that we use in the Trump administration, that’s about empowering underserved communities,’ he added.
‘If we don’t invest with them, if those individuals don’t get access to the American dream, we got problems for years to come.’
DailyMail
