President Trump took a playful swipe at potential Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke Friday while signing a landmark bill on criminal-justice reform.
In an Oval Office ceremony, the president congratulated Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a bill sponsor who defeated Rep. O’Rourke in a hotly contested Senate race in November.
“I thought you were supposed to win before you run for president,” Mr. Trump quipped about Mr. O’Rourke, whose fundraising prowess has spurred calls for him to run for the presidency in 2020.
The president signed into law the First Step Act, a major bipartisan overhaul of the criminal justice system that will give judges more flexibility in sentencing defendants, especially for nonviolent drug crimes.
“Everybody said it couldn’t be done,” Mr. Trump said proudly.
He thanked a large bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, with whom the president is locked in a fierce showdown threatening a partial government shutdown over border wall funding.
“I want to thank Nancy and Chuck, affectionately — I do,” Mr. Trump said to laughter.
Mr. Cruz called the legislation “a great step in the correction of justice” and praised Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, another backer of the bill.
“Mike bled for this bill,” Mr. Cruz said.
The president credited his son-in-law, White House adviser Jared Kushner, for pushing the legislation to completion. Mr. Kushner said the effort “really took an army of a lot of other people.”
The First Step Act aims to promote prisoner participation in vocational training, educational coursework, or faith-based programs by allowing them to earn time credits for early release. It also eliminates the three-strike mandatory life imprisonment provision and gives certain offenders the ability to petition courts for a review of their sentences.
Tim Phillips, president of the Charles Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, said the legislation “will reduce crime, save taxpayer dollars, break down barriers, and provide many individuals with second chances to become productive, law-abiding members of their communities.”
“This bill would not have been possible without the steadfast leadership of President Trump and others in his administration like Jared Kushner who worked tirelessly with bipartisan champions in Congress to get it over the finish line,” he said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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