President Bush Pardons Fourteen Convicted Felons
On Nov. 24, President George W. Bush issued pardons for 14 convicted felons and sentenced commutations for two other individuals. None of the more famous applicants were among this group, but there are two remaining months of the presidential administration in which their requests may be granted.
Garden-Variety Crimes, Including Drug Offense, Embezzlement
The individuals who received clemency had committed the following crimes:
- income tax evasion
- drug offenses—e.g., abetting the distribution of cocaine in one case
- embezzlement
- unauthorized use of a pesticide
- illegal treatment, storage and disposal of a hazardous waste without a permit
- misapplication of bank funds by a bank officer
The two sentence commutations (shortening) were for drug crimes.
Counterterrorism Participants Not Yet Granted Clemency
A question that has not been answered by these latest grants is whether President Bush will issue “blanket” pardons for all of the many administration officials and intelligence officers who participated in torture-related activities and counterterrorism programs such as the al Qaeda interrogations.
The only well-known recipient of President Bush’s clemency powers is I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury in 2007. His sentence was commuted last year.
Other “celebrity” felons awaiting an answer to their pardon/commutation requests are:
- Olympic athlete Marion Jones
- The “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh
- Former congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham
Relatively Few Pardons and Commutations So Far
To date, President Bush has granted eight sentence commutations and 171 pardons, which is less than half as many as those issued separately by two-term Presidents Clinton and Reagan. According to White House spokesman Carlton Carroll, President Bush “will continue to carefully review clemency requests and make determinations on a case-by-case basis.”
(Source: New York Times)
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