makes it all the more concerning when you look at how many of trump s pardons carried the stink of political patronage and best in corrupt self-interest at worst. according to pew research center over the course of his four years in office trump only granted 237 acts of clemency. that s the third lowest number of pardons for any president in history. only the two president bush is pardoned fewer people. it would seem that trump was extremely selective about who he pardoned. still some of his pardons were widely praised. like alice johnson in 2020 who was serving life in prison for a nonviolent drug conviction. he posthumously pardoned the historical figure season being anthony, arrested for voting illegally. in 1870 to inject johnson the first black heavyweight boxing champ who is subject to a racist conviction in 1913 for transporting a white woman across state lines. but he also pardoned a robes gallery of political figures including many of his own associates. some of whom
still too cowardly to take a stand against insurrectionists ex president. the idea of political violence is being normalized. he held newspaper published a piece this weekend underlying its stark terms what this new post trump post january 6th world looks like. the number threat in vests launched by u.s. capitol police in 2021 was 100 and 50% higher than it was in 2017. trump s first year in office. lawmakers who are critical of trump remain among those most frequently targeted for violence. the long and diverse listening clues republicans who voted for an infrastructure bill he opposed. democrats who manage the former presidents impeachments. republicans who supported his ouster after the january 6th capitol attack. and most recently, the nine lawmakers on the select committee investigating the 2021 a riot. all of whom have around the clock security details. end quote. president biden addressed the normalization of violence this week in his soul of the nation s speech. y
beschloss a slice the status of the battle two months away from the critical midterm elections. later in the show, a very special edition of the velshi banned book club featuring the one and only margaret atwood. we begin this hour with a sometimes controversial presidential power. the power of the pardon. u.s. constitution bestows a handful of races the american president. one of which is the quote power to grant reprieve and pardons for offenses against the united states, and quote. which seem callous presidents over the centuries you see this authority for good. often giving mercy to those who are wrongfully committed or convicted or in more modern times, those who were simply railroaded by the criminal justice system. but like almost all legal and constitutional norms in this country, this one has been complicated in the era of donald trump. let s be clear, donald trump did not issue a lot of pardons. in fact, he issued fewer than most other presidents which