Trump shifts gun debate target

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump shook up the gun debate Wednesday during a freewheeling televised White House meeting.

Lawmakers appeared headed toward voting on a narrow reform bill this week, but during the bipartisan discussion the president signaled support for a host of gun proposals—some vehemently opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and most Republicans. Trump told members of both parties he wants action on several areas related to gun reform, challenging Congress to combine proposals into a comprehensive piece of legislation.

It’s been more than two weeks since 17 people died during a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., and Congress has yet to vote on any legislation in response to the tragedy. And Trump may have muddied the path forward.

Early in the White House meeting, the president talked about missed opportunities to stop the Parkland shooter and suggested law enforcement should be more aggressive when dealing with individuals who might pose a threat.

“I like taking the guns early, like in this crazy man’s case that just took place in Florida,” he said. “To go to court would have taken a long time. So you could do exactly what you’re saying, but take the guns first, go through due process second.”

Some Republicans could not believe Trump suggested what they viewed as an extreme tactic.

“We’re not ditching any constitutional protections simply because the last person the president talked to today doesn’t like them,” Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said in a statement.

Lawmakers intended to vote on a measure from Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., to encourage better reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The senators introduced the bill last fall after a mass shooting at a church in Texas. The gunman in that incident should have been flagged in the federal database, which would have prevented him from buying the gun used in the attack.

Most in Congress support that bipartisan effort, but Democrats have balked at passing it since they want assurances on broader reforms. Republicans, particularly in the House, have raised concerns that the Senate version doesn’t contain an expansion of concealed-carry rights to allow gun owners to take weapons across state lines. The House passed a similar version of the Cornyn-Murphy bill with the concealed-carry provision attached in December.

During Wednesday’s White House meeting, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., argued the Senate should couple the background check and concealed carry issues, a suggestion that earned him a rebuke from the president.

“You know I’m your biggest fan in the whole world,” Trump said to Scalise. “Maybe that bill will someday pass, but it should pass as a separate [bill]. If you’re going to put concealed carry between states into this bill, we’re talking about a whole new ballgame.”

Senate Democrats have already said they won’t consider the concealed-carry language, and some praised the president for his comments Wednesday.

Trump expressed frustration that Congress has not passed a single reform to gun laws since the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn., adding that the response to Parkland needs to be different.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., advocated for a bill to expand background checks for gun sales among unlicensed gun sellers, particularly at gun shows and via online vendors. Trump asked them to huddle with Cornyn and Murphy to find a way to combine both measures and include a provision to raise the minimum age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21—another measure the NRA opposes.

Inmates wait to enter their assigned cell block after arriving at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, Calif. Associated Press/Photo by Rich Pedroncelli (file)

White House deals blow to sentencing reform

The White House signaled Tuesday it doesn’t see a path forward for sentencing reform legislation this year, despite bipartisan support in Congress.

Last month, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill aimed at reducing the severity of mandatory minimum sentences for some non-violent drug offenders. The bill, championed by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., would work retroactively, allowing prosecutors to review old sentences and give some criminals a second chance to reduce their prison time.

Senior White House officials briefed reporters in a conference call Tuesday on the administration’s game plan for criminal justice reform this year, flatly stating the president’s opposition to sentencing reform. They said lawmakers should instead focus on pieces of the current proposal, including prison reform.

Before the committee vote, Attorney General Jeff Sessions protested against the bill in a letter to Grassley, who said Congress would continue to work on legislation despite the administration’s recommendations.

“Chairman Grassley is focused on passing sound policy, not the path of least resistance,” Grassley spokesman Taylor Foy said in an emailed statement. “Bipartisan support continues to grow in the Senate for comprehensive criminal justice reform, which includes providing additional discretion for judges at sentencing for lower level, non-violent drug crimes.”

Instead of focusing on sentencing reform, the White House wants to emphasize helping inmates successfully reenter society.

The Senate considered a similar sentencing reform bill two years ago, but leaders never scheduled a floor vote. —E.W.

Inmates wait to enter their assigned cell block after arriving at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, Calif. Associated Press/Photo by Rich Pedroncelli (file)

Scandals in the desert

Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., abruptly resigned last year amid a bizarre scandal in which he allegedly tried to pay members of his staff to serve as a surrogate for his child. But even with Franks gone, Arizona’s heavily Republican 8th District is far from scandal-free.

On Tuesday, former state Sen. Debbie Lesko won the Republican special election primary to replace Franks even while she faces accusations of violating campaign finance rules.

Former state Rep. Phil Lovas, who also ran in the Republican primary to replace Franks, claimed Lesko illegally funneled $50,000 from her state campaign funds to a supportive super PAC. Lesko denies any wrongdoing and threatens to sue Lovas.

For most of the race, Lesko polled behind former Arizona state Sen. Steve Montenegro, who had endorsements from Franks and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. But less than a week before Tuesday’s primary, KPNX-TV in Phoenix reported Montenegro received nude photographs from one of his former female staff members while serving in the state Senate.

Montenegro, who is married, also serves as an associate pastor at the Surprise Apostolic Church in Surprise, Ariz. He denied he ever had a relationship with the woman.

Now that she’s secured the Republican nomination, Lesko will square off against Democrat Hiral Tipirneni, an emergency room physician, in the April 24 special election. Lesko is favored to win. —E.W.

Democrats turn on Feinstein

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California’s senior Democratic senator, failed to receive an endorsement from her party this week. Feinstein, 84, first won election in 1992 and is the oldest sitting U.S. senator. She’s running for reelection this year to serve another six-year term. Results released Sunday from California’s annual Democratic Party convention showed only 37 percent of party delegates endorsed Feinstein for another term. California state Sen. Kevin de León earned 54 percent of votes, leaving both Democrats short of the 60 percent needed to earn the party’s official endorsement. Feinstein would be in her 90s by the end of her next term if she wins in November. She’s remained popular among Democrats for most of her career but is still more moderate than some of her Senate colleagues. Sunday’s results showed increasingly liberal Democrats are hungry for new leadership. As a wealthy incumbent, Feinstein remains the favorite to win, but de León noted on Twitter the tide is shifting: “The outcome of last night’s endorsement vote is an astounding rejection of politics as usual. A signal to Washington that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder against a complacent status quo.” —E.W.

Never too early to prepare for 2020

President Donald Trump just completed his first year in office, but he already has his eyes on 2020. On Tuesday, Trump officially announced he’s running for reelection and named Brad Parscale as his campaign manager. Parscale ran Trump’s digital team during the 2016 campaign. On his first day as campaign manager, Parscale hired Michael Glassner as the campaign’s chief operating officer, and named Laura Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, as a senior adviser. Democrats have a long list of possible challengers, but at this point, only Rep. John Delaney, D-Md., has launched an official bid for his party’s nomination. —E.W.