Mukasey's crack testimony and reactions from public policy groups

AG Mukasey's take on crack retroactivity appears in the last few pages of this written testimony submitted today to the House Judiciary Committee, which this morning held an "Oversight Hearing of the Department of Justice."  Here is the key concluding paragraph of the crack part of his testimony:

[W]e think it is imperative for Congress to pass legislation to address the Sentencing Commission’s decision.  In calling for action, I emphasize that we are not asking this Committee to prolong the sentences of those offenders who pose the least threat to their communities, such as first-time, non-violent offenders. Instead, our objective is to address the Sentencing Commission’s decision in a way that protects public safety and addresses the adverse judicial and administrative consequences that will result from retroactive application of these lower guidelines.  We would appreciate the opportunity to work with this Committee and this House to address the retroactivity issue in an expedient manner while beginning discussions on changes to the current statutory differential between crack and powder cocaine offenses.

Unsurprisingly, public policy groups like FAMM and the ACLU are not impressed and they've got press releases out responding to the AG's assertions.  The FAMM release is here, and the ACLU release is here.

Some recent related posts:

• AG Mukasey comes out swinging on crack retroactivity
• More on Mukasey on crack: is the best defense is a good offense?
• AG Mukasey makes ugly cracks about crack retroactivity when announcing new crime initiative
• Mukasey talking (seriously?) about pushing legislation to undo crack retroactivity
• A retroactive litmus test on leading Democratic candidates