Trump vowed to drain the swamp. Then he granted clemency to three former congressmen convicted of federal crimes. Michael Kranish
Replay Video UP NEXT As Donald Trump campaigned for the presidency in 2016, his vow to “drain the swamp” included outrage at past use of presidential pardons. Citing the way President Bill Clinton had pardoned a fugitive financier during his last week in office, Trump fumed, “People couldn’t believe it.” Yet now, in the closing days of his term, Trump has added to his portfolio of pardons and commutations several people who seemed to exemplify the very swamp that Trump said he would drain, including former political allies as well as three former members of the House of Representatives.
Donald Trump pardons Roger Stone, Charles Kushner and Paul Manafort
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Trump is believed to be weighing other pardons. (FILE)
Washington:
An angry backlash Wednesday met US President Donald Trump s pardons of corrupt Republican congressmen and security guards convicted of killing 14 civilians in a 2007 Baghdad massacre.
Following the pattern of earlier announcements, Trump extended executive clemency Tuesday to people who showed strong political support for him, and former soldiers and law enforcement officials convicted of murder in on-the-job shootings.
Iraqis expressed outrage and sadness after Trump delivered pardons for the four Blackwater security contractors who were convicted of murder and manslaughter six years ago for the Nisur Square massacre.
The four, all former US servicemen, opened fire unprovoked on the crowded square in 2007, leaving at least 14 civilians dead though Iraqi authorities put the toll as high as 17 while wounding dozens more and deeply souring US-Iraqi relations.
Since June 28, 2004
December 24, 2020
A challenge for those troubled by Trump s final month clemencies: identify dozens, hundreds of comparable cases for Biden s first month
It is hardly surprising that Prez Trump has kicked off his final weeks in office with sets of clemency grants that include all sorts of friends and family and politically-charged defendants (basics here and here). It is perhaps even less surprising that Trump s latest flourish of clemency grants is garnering lots and lots of criticisms from lots and lots of quarters (just a few examples are here and here and here and here and here).
But particularly notable in the first wave of reaction was US Senator Chris Murphy tweeting here that It’s time to remove the pardon power from the Constitution. Many tweeters have pushed back, and Rachel Barkow s tweet thread here is especially effective and I wanted to highlight some of what she says. I recommend the whole thread, but these portions (with my bolding)
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