Saturday during an interview with MSNBC’s Al Sharpton, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), a member of the liberal congressional foursome known as “The Squad,” argued now may be the time to commute sentences of some federal prisoners given their vulnerability to coronavirus.
Pressley said she and other congressional Democrats were lobbying the Bureau of Prisons for “compassionate” releases.
“[W]hen we are talking about our most vulnerable, our low-income residents and those experiencing homelessness, our seniors and that we are also including the incarcerated men and women, who are amongst one of the most vulnerable populations and given the crowding and overpopulating in our prisons for a confluence of other reasons we won’t get into in this interview, Rev., buy you are certainly well aware of, are an ecosystem and a petri dish for the spreading of this pandemic, which is why I partnered with my colleagues, Representatives [Nydia] Velázquez, [Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez and [Rashida] Tlaib, to lobby the Bureau of Prisons to use their full power to communicate guidance for how we will contain and mitigate this epidemic behind the wall.”
Spanberger breaks silence on ‘sanctuary’ claims as ICE clashes heat up
Artemis II pilot Victor Glover’s daughter steals spotlight in viral tribute: ‘First daughter of the moon’
Yale Athletics Scandal: Admin Allegedly Forced Official to Retire to Make Room for Top Hire’s Lesbian Lover
Misconduct allegations dog Swalwell as Dem rivals seize opening in California governor’s race
Florida woman who posed as nurse and treated more than 4,400 patients without a license avoids jail time
Watch: Gov’t Exposed Spending £150k to Help 2 Foreign Child Molesters Fight Their Rap – We’re Committing Cultural Suicide
Democrats reject measure targeting dark money and AIPAC at spring meeting
Mamdani ripped after conceding key campaign pledge won’t happen this year
American Husband Arrested Days After His Wife Went Missing in the Bahamas
Netanyahu confirms negotiations with Lebanon after deadliest day of Israeli strikes
Putting Iran in Perspective: Have Americans Lost the Stomach to Fight Those Who Want Us Dead?
House Dem leaders open door to 25th Amendment after rank-and-file push for Trump’s removal
Rutte jokes about calling Trump ‘daddy’ rather than commenting on future of NATO
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche seeks death penalty for three MS-13 gang members
Rogue Dem bucks party on Trump war powers, calls Iran ‘47-year-old war crime’
“Specifically, do they have access to testing? Secondly, has anyone tested positive, and what are the quarantine measures? Again given the overpopulating and the fact that many of these facilities are already subpar and that incarcerated men and women do not have access to soap, to alcohol-based hand sanitizers — and to regular showers, what is the guidance for those incarcerated and for staff? And that the B.O.P. Use their full powers, I think now would be the time to commute some sentences, to exact clemency and to take care of our most our vulnerable. Ten percent of those incarcerated are over the age of 60 and already have an underlying condition. We should be using compassionate release.”
