Eric Holder backs softer sentencing legislation

Former Attorney General Eric Holder spoke last week in support of softer sentencing for criminals. Holder called the sentencing reform proposals in the House and Senate “a historic opportunity,” though naturally he called on Congress to make the legislation even more lenient.

Holder also disputed the existence of a “Ferguson effect,” whereby rants against the police have made some officers less proactive in their work, thus increasing the level of crime in some cities. FBI director James Comey and acting DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg have pointed to this phenomenon. Holder, more ideological and further removed from the front lines, said that this view is “based on outdated ideology or simple fear of change.”

The merits of softer sentencing should be resolved based on the arguments pro and con, not on who supports it. Still, conservatives should be wary of legislation backed by Eric Holder — the race-baiting former leader of a radically lawless Justice Department — President Obama, Patrick Leahy, and Dick Durbin.

Conservatives should feel much more comfortable standing with former Attorney General Ed Meese and Jeff Sessions, both of whom oppose the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015.

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