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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) came to President Donald Trumps defense on Thursday.

In an interview in theNew York TimesWednesday, Trump told the paper he would not have hired Jeff Sessions as attorney general if he knew that Sessions would ultimately recuse himself from the Department of Justices Russia investigation.

You know, I think the President has a point, because the thing here isif everybody is going to recuse themselves just for incidental contact, I think you dont get really good governance, Paulsaid in an interview on Fox and Friends, the Presidents favored morning news show. I believe that Jeff Sessions contact with the Russians was incidental. In the usual duties of being in Senate, and it being incidental, he should have stayed in the fray and been more supportive of the President.

Paulwent on to rail against Sessions for his actions enforcing asset forfeiture policy, which he says gives the attorney general the power to disproportionately take property from minority and low-income people.

I think we shouldnt take peoples property without conviction. This is something I believe very strongly in, and Im disappointed that Sessions is going after a lot of poor minorities to take their property without due process, he said.

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Rand Paul Agrees With Trump: Sessions Shouldn't Have Recused Himself - TPM

Meanwhile, black and Latino defendants are more likely to be detained before trial and less likely to be able to post bail compared with similarly situated white defendants. In fact, black and Latino men respectively pay 35 percent and 19 percent higher bail than white men.

This isnt just unjust. It also wastes taxpayer dollars. People awaiting trial account for 95 percent of the growth in the jail population from 2000 to 2014, and it costs roughly $38 million every day to imprison these largely nonviolent defendants. That adds up to $14 billion a year.

Bail is supposed to ensure that the accused appear at trial and dont commit other offenses in the meantime. But research has shown that low-risk defendants who are detained more than 24 hours and then released are actually less likely to show up in court than those who are detained less than a day.

It is especially troubling that our bail system does not keep us safer. In a study of two large jurisdictions, nearly half of the defendants considered high risk were released simply because they could afford to post bail.

Our bail system is broken. And its time to fix it.

Thats why were introducing the Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act to encourage states to reform or replace the bail system.

This should not be a partisan issue.

First, our legislation empowers states to build on best practices. Kentucky and New Jersey, for instance, have shifted from bail toward personalized risk assessments that analyze factors such as criminal history and substance abuse. These are better indicators of whether a defendant is a flight risk or a threat to the public and ought to be held without bail.

Colorado and West Virginia have improved pretrial services and supervision, such as using telephone reminders so fewer defendants miss court dates and end up detained.

These nudges work. Over the second half of 2006, automated phone call reminders in Multnomah County in Oregon, resulted in 750 people showing up in court who otherwise may have forgotten their date.

Instead of the federal government mandating a one-size-fits-all approach, this bill provides Department of Justice grants directly to the states so each can devise and carry out the most effective policies, tailored for its unique needs.

Enabling states to better institute such reforms also honors one of our nations core documents, the Bill of Rights. In drafting the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits excessive bail, the founders sought to protect people from unchecked government power in the criminal justice system.

Second, our bill holds states accountable. Any state receiving support must report on its progress and make sure that reforms like risk assessments are not discriminatory through analyses of trends and data. This will show that its possible to demand transformation, transparency and fairness.

Finally, this bill encourages better data collection. Data on the pretrial process is notoriously sparse. By collecting information on how state and local courts handle defendants, we can help guarantee that reforms yield better outcomes.

The Pretrial Justice Institute, an organization that works to change unfair and unjust pretrial practices, estimates that bail reform could save American taxpayers roughly $78 billion a year. More important, it would help restore Americans faith in our justice system.

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Kamala Harris and Rand Paul: To Shrink Jails, Let's Reform Bail - New York Times

President Donald Trump reportedly singled out Republican Sen. Rand Paul during a dinner with GOP senators on Monday night, criticizing the Libertarian-leaning lawmaker for his opposition to the Senate's Obamacare replacement bill.

After the bill was sunk by opposition from both the conservative and moderate wings of the Republican Party, Trump complained that Paul had gone out of his way to publicize his discontent with the bill, and derided the senator's TV appearances as unnecessary grandstanding, according to a New York Times report. Paul was not at the dinner.

Trump reportedly said that while it's one thing to vote no on the bill, it's another thing to "go on all of the Sunday shows and complain about it," according to the Times.

Paul responded on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday, defending his relationship with the president and holding firm on his rejection of the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

"I think the president and I have a good relationship I've been one of his strongest defenders, I will continue to defend him against mainstream media attacks," Paul said. "But on issues of substance like health care, he knows where I'm coming from... I was at the first Tea parties saying that Obamacare was a mistake and we should repeal it."

A look back: Rand Paul on the campaign trail

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Rand Paul on the campaign trail

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UNITED STATES - JANUARY 23: Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., attends the New Hampshire Republican Party #FITN Leadership Summit at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua, N.H., January 23, 2016. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

UNITED STATES - JANUARY 17 - Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., inspects an AR-15 rifle as he fires it at Crossroads Shooting Sports in Johnston, Iowa, on Sunday, Jan 17, 2016. (Photo By Al Drago/CQ Roll Call)

Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky and 2016 presidential candidate, stands on stage at the start of the Republican presidential candidate debate at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. With less than two months remaining before the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses and the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary, middle-of-the-pack candidates hoping for a late surge in the polls have little choice but to come out swinging in tonight's fifth Republican debate. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 23: Host Larry Wilmore speaks with Republican candidate Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) on Comedy Central's 'The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore' Soul Food Sit Down on October 23, 2015 in New York City. The show airs tonight, November 2, 2015, at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Comedy Central)

GREENVILLE, SC - SEPTEMBER 18: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks to voters at the Heritage Action Presidential Candidate Forum September 18, 2015 in Greenville, South Carolina. Eleven republican candidates each had twenty five minutes to talk to voters Friday at the Bons Secours Wellness arena in the upstate of South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 20: John Dickerson interviews Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on the September 20, 2015 edition of 'Face the Nation.' (Photo by Chris Usher/CBS via Getty Images)

2016 Republican presidential candidates George Pataki, former governor of New York, Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, stand on stage during the Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. The main debate of the top 11 GOP contenders in the polls follows the 'kids' table' debate of candidates who didn't make the cut. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

UNITED STATES - AUGUST 7: Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks with the media at the Pints for Liberty event at Rat River Brewery in Columbia, S.C., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

UNITED STATES - JULY 26: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., reacts to a question about Sen. Ted Cruz as he arrives for the rare Sunday session in the Senate on July 26, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky and 2016 U.S. 2016 presidential candidate, questions John Kerry, U.S. secretary of state, not pictured, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, July 23, 2015. Senator Bob Corker, a key player in the congressional debate over the nuclear deal with Iran, told Secretary of State John Kerry that the Obama administration is engaging in hyperbole to sell it. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 29: Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) waits to be introduced at a campaign stop at an Embassy Suites hotel on June 29, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Paul made stops in four cities in Nevada on Monday as he campaigns for the battleground state against 12 other Republican candidates in the 2016 presidential race. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

LEXINGTON, SC - JUNE 15: GOP presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) greets supporters at the VFW Hall on June 15, 2015 in Lexington, South Carolina. Paul took questions and spoke against government intrusion into the lives of citizens. (Photo by Richard Ellis/Getty Images)

BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 09: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the Baltimore county Republican Party's annual Lincoln/Reagan Dinner at Martin's West June 9, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Paul launched his campaign April 7 in Louisville, where he told supporters, 'I have a message, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words: We have come to take our country back.' (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 01: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) does a live interview with ABC News in the Russell Senate Office Building rotunda on Capitol Hill June 1, 2015 in Washington, DC. In protest of the National Security Agency's sweeping program to collect U.S. citizens' telephone metadata, Paul blocked an extension of some parts of the USA PATRIOT Act, allowing them to lapse at 12:01 a.m. Monday. The Senate will continue to work to restore the lapsed authorities by amending a House version of the bill and getting it to President Obama later this week. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - MAY 18: Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., tours Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Monday, May, 18, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

UNITED STATES - MAY 18: Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., shakes hands with supporters before his speech outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Monday, May, 18, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

DES MOINES, IA - MAY 16: Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks to guests gathered for the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Dinner at the Iowa Events Center on May 16, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. The event sponsored by the Republican Party of Iowa gave several Republican presidential hopefuls an opportunity to strengthen their support among Iowa Republicans ahead of the 2016 Iowa caucus. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

U.S. Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican and U.S. presidential candidate, speaks during the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition presidential forum at Point of Grace Church in Waukee, Iowa, U.S., on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Declared and undeclared Republican presidential candidates descended on Iowa for the event. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images ***Local Caption *** Rand Paul

U.S. Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky and presidential candidate, listens during a campaign stop in Atkins, Iowa, U.S., on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Paul will attend the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition 2015 Spring Kickoff. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images ***Local Caption *** Rand Paul

VINTON, IA - APRIL 25: Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) poses for pictures with guests during a campaign stop at the American Legion Hall on April 25, 2015 in Vinton, Iowa. Paul is seeking the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

NASHUA, NH - APRIL 18: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Summit April 18, 2015 in Nashua, New Hampshire. The Summit brought together local and national Republicans and was attended by all the Republicans candidates as well as those eyeing a run for the nomination. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 11: Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during a rally at the Desert Vista Community Center on April 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Paul declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on April 7, and is the second Republican candidate to jump into the race. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

MT PLEASANT, SC - APRIL 09: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and GOP presidential hopeful speaks at a campaign rally in front of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown on April 9, 2015 in Mt Pleasant, South Carolina. Paul outlined a foreign policy vision built both on a strong military and a commitment to use it sparingly. (Photo by Richard Ellis/Getty Images)

MILFORD, NH - APRIL 8: U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during a rally at Town Hall April 8, 2015 in Milford, New Hampshire. Paul declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on April 7, and is the second Republican candidate to jump into the race. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

U.S. Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, speaks during a rally to formally announce his presidential campaign at the Galt House hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. Paul, 52, becomes the second Republican, and second freshman senator to join the 2016 presidential race. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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The GOP bill fell apart Monday night when two more GOP senators Jerry Moran of Kansas and Mike Lee of Utah joined Paul in rejecting the proposal.

Paul has long supported a full repeal of Obamacare and advocates for repealing the law before negotiating legislation to replace it. Paul implied he had helped convince the president to change his mind on the issue after Trump tweeted on Monday that the Senate should repeal now and replace later.

"As @realDonaldTrump and I discussed last week. Clean repeal now!" Paul tweeted on Monday.

Paul emphasized during his Wednesday interview that he and the president agree that Republicans should abandon Obamacare.

"I agree with the president Obamacare's a disaster, but it's the Democrats' creation, and all the problems of its unraveling belong to Democrats," Paul said, arguing that any Republican bill that doesn't fully repeal Obamacare would leave the GOP with the blame for the health care law's failure.

This isn't the first time Paul has won Trump's ire for his position on health care. In March, in the midst of the House's negotiation of their replacement bill, the president called Paul out by name on Twitter after the senator criticized the House proposal as "Obamacare-lite."

"I feel sure that my friend @RandPaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!" Trump tweeted.

In response to reporters' questions about his reaction to the president's pressure, Paul said he felt "emboldened" by the criticism.

"I don't feel isolated by this. I actually feel emboldened," Paul told Politico, arguing that the tweet signaled that the White House was open to negotiation with proponents of a clean Obamacare repeal.

Paul and Trump began their relationship on rocky footing during the 2016 presidential primaries. After the first Republican debate in August 2015, Trump called Paul "truly weird" and criticized his performance.

"Truly weird Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky reminds me of a spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain," Trump tweeted. "He was terrible at DEBATE!"

Paul struck back at Trump, calling him a "fake conservative."

NOW WATCH: Watch Jared Kushner speak publicly for the first time since joining Trump's administration

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Trump rails against Rand Paul in closed-door meeting with the senator's colleagues, and Paul fires back on TV - AOL

Sen. Rand Paul said Thursday that if the insurance bailout were removed from the Republican health care replacement he might be able to support it.

There is some good in the bill, but theres an enormous insurance bailout fund. I have told them that if they take that insurance bailout money and put that on a separate bill that would likely pass, Mr. Paul, Kentucky Republican, said on Fox News.

They can probably get what they want, and conservatives wouldnt be forced to vote for something that conservatives think government should fundamentally not be involved with, he said.

Mr. Paul has been vocal in his opposition of the replacement plan for Obamacare saying that the Republican bill doesnt do enough to lower premiums or remove the mandates. He has advocated voting on a simple repeal vote and continuing to work on a replacement plan.

At this point it is a bit confusing. I announced that I would vote for the bill, that it would be the clean 2015 bill, he said. Yesterday, the Senate leadership equivocated.

But Mr. Paul said the worst thing Republicans can do at this point is pass something that doesnt work.

I think all of these plans allow the death spiral to continue. In the Republican plan, they subsidize the death spiral. In the presidents plan, they force people to buy insurance. Neither are going to work, he said. The only thing that would really work is get rid of the federal regulations, all of them, on insurance and let states handle this. Send it back to the people.

Link:
Drop insurance bailout from GOP health care bill, Sen. Paul urges - Washington Times

Media Matters for America

Morning Joe doesn't push back when Rand Paul compares CBO methodology to "astrology" Media Matters for America JOE SCARBOROUGH (CO-HOST): Rand, I'm going to throw you a softball question since the president's being so mean to you. But you actually I think could do Republicans a service here. One of the complaints, chief complaints I've heard from Republicans ...

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Morning Joe doesn't push back when Rand Paul compares CBO methodology to "astrology" - Media Matters for America