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<h1 class="left" style="font-size: 19px; "><a href="http://news.trust.org/item/20170207195502-b62zp/?source=hpbreaking">http://news.trust.org/item/20170207195502-b62zp/?source=hpbreaking</a></h1><h1 class="left"><br></h1><h1 class="left">Trump questions lawmakers' efforts to curb asset seizures by police</h1>
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by
Reuters
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<div class="meta small left" style="font-size: 18px; ">Tuesday, 7 February 2017 19:49 GMT</div>
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<span class="no-lead-text" style="font-size: 18px; "></span><p style="font-size: 18px; ">By Emily Stephenson</p><p style="font-size: 18px; ">WASHINGTON,
Feb 7 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday there was "no
reason" to curb law enforcement agencies that seize cash, vehicles and
other assets of people suspected of crimes, a practice that some
lawmakers and activists have criticized for denying legal rights.</p><p style="font-size: 18px; ">The
issue of civil asset forfeiture, created to disrupt the activities of
organized crime groups, arose when sheriffs from around the United
States told Trump at a White House meeting that they were under pressure
to ease the practice.</p><p style="font-size: 18px; ">"I'd like to look into that," Trump said. "There's no reason for that."</p><p style="font-size: 18px; ">In
2016, a group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill,
which did not become law, that would have required the government to do
more to show that seized property was connected to a crime. Critics
have said suspects have few avenues to challenge the seizures and that
forfeiture laws were sometimes abused. Police in some cases seize
property from people who are never charged or convicted.</p><p style="font-size: 18px; ">Trump,
a Republican, asked acting U.S. Attorney General Dana Boente, who was
at the gathering, whether executive orders or legislation were needed to
support forfeiture. Boente said that was unnecessary but law
enforcement agencies needed encouragement.</p><p style="font-size: 18px; ">Trump
voiced disagreement with lawmakers who want to change asset forfeiture
laws, and some of the sheriffs laughed when Trump suggested he might
want to "destroy" the career of one Texas legislator.</p><p style="font-size: 18px; ">He
said members of the U.S. Congress would "get beat up really badly by
the voters" if they interfered with law enforcement's activities...</p></div></div></div></body></html>