Sessions' drug policy is gruff on crime, not tough on crime

Much in line with the administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions seems to be building a wall of his own, albeit metaphorically, to prevent any work between Republicans and Democrats on criminal justice reform – and it just got 10 feet higher.

Sessions laid the first brick on Thursday by issuing a memo to federal prosecutors to "charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense" for low-level, nonviolent drug offenders.

While President Trump has promised to be tough on crime, ideas like this will only make the problems in our system worse.

The polarized political environment of the last few years has made it nearly impossible for both parties to agree on anything, but reforming our criminal justice system has bucked that partisan trend. So as changes continue to be rolled out, it's important for Republicans to remember that not everything coming from the lips of the administration is a Republican idea, even if it's packaged as one.

Republican leaders across the country – including Speaker Ryan – have called for changes on how we deal with mandatory minimum sentencing as it relates to drug offenses. Given this, others in the GOP need to point out that calling for criminal justice reform isn't being soft on crime and that policies like the one announced last week are opposed by many.