As Adam noted below, Manafort was indicted on a number of charges by the Manhattan DA, including several counts of “Don’t Even Think About Pardoning Him You, Shitheel.” Which gets me to my point, which is that the pardon is a good thing, it is not used nearly enough considering how flawed our justice system is, Presidents should issue far more pardons and commutations, and Republicans keep fucking things up by using it to pardon assholes like Scooter Libby and Nixon and Arpaio and D’Souza and other scumbags. Obama, imho, issued far too few pardons, because there are a lot of people out there who deserve them.
Trump did use the pardon correctly, however, when he pardoned Alice Marie Johnson. But here’s the thing- she is not a one off, as there are a large number of people who deserve this.
Steeplejack
As marijuana moves toward being legal everywhere, I wonder whether there will be a movement for a mass amnesty for everybody still serving time for marijuana possession. Seems like there should be, but I haven’t seen anything. Maybe I need to check at HighTimes.com.
(Even as I write that I get the feeling that High Times is probably the Penthouse magazine of dope sites and there are fresher, millennial-friendly, “artisanal” sites around somewhere.)
PaulWartenberg
Pardons remain one of the more questionable powers a President has. It all depends on the temperament of the President and the times in which he serves.
The problem with it is when the President uses it for personal reasons, even indirectly: Bush the Elder pardoned a bunch of major players in the Iran-Contra scandal, which effectively ended any further investigation into it (because it could have indicted *him* later on). Bill Clinton pardoned FALN Puerto Rican revolutionaries in opposition to his own Dept. of Jusitce for what may have been political quid-pro-quo, and on his last day pardoned various persons with ties to his election campaigns (as well as Whitewater player Susan MacDougal). Dubya commuted Scooter Libby just as his *sentencing* was getting set. So the power of pardons can be abused in various ways.
trump makes this more dangerous than ever before. Someone who *came into office* surrounded by crooks and having one after the other face conviction, plea deals, and jail time. There’s even serious debate if trump has the power to pardon himself if he faces indictment. We’re at the moment now where our legal system should encourage more pardons – especially non-violent convictions in the war on drugs (because all we’re doing there is turning people into more hardened criminals) – but it should be geared towards people who have no connections at all to the President who issues them.
ruemara
You’re not wrong. THe thing is, I believe this is precisely why the GOP does what it does. It discredits democracy, while reserving it’s benefits for people they like.
Wapiti
@Steeplejack: Seattle already did this for the misdemeanor cases (they don’t do felony cases). Gov. Inslee has signaled that he wants to pardon 3500 past convictions at the state level.
Brachiator
Putting it into perspective.
In short, the story notes, Obama received such a large number of clemency requests in part because his administration asked for them.
I also appreciate what California Governor Newsom has done:
Again, maybe not enough, but a step in the right direction.
chopper
actually, trump commuted johnson’s sentence. sounds like splitting hairs, but having that conviction still on your record is a big deal in terms of employment, voting rights, etc.
chopper
@chopper: ‘
of course d’souza and arpaio get full-on pardons. because this shitty world sucks.
Brachiator
@PaulWartenberg:
The writers of the Constitution gave the president a power associated with monarchs, but I am fine with it. There is sometimes an tension that cannot be resolved between law and justice, and you must allow for mercy.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Michael Issikoff was giving some ‘context’ today to point out that presidents usually issue pardons in their lame duck period. Bill Clenis I mean Clinton pardoned Marc Rich and Susan MacDougal, said “Glory Days” Issikoff. No mention of Cap Weinberger.
MattF
@Brachiator: The basic dilemma is that the US President is both chief executive and head of state– the pardoning power comes with being head of state. In most constitutional systems, the two roles are separated, and for good reasons. But– here in the US– if the president doesn’t have that power, who would?
germy
jl
A cynical person might be excused for thinking Trump pardoned Johnson because he could get a big photo op out of it that would go national with Kim Kardashian, who was pushing it. Maybe Kardashian should get primary props for that.
Not saying I am a cynical person, but… if there were any Trumpster interest behind that kind of pardon, it wouldn’t be the only one or two, with celebs being the real brains and guts behind them.
jl
@MattF: Amend the Constitution to create the office of National Figurehead.
Trump would prob never have bothered to run for president if an office like that had been available.
tobie
@ruemara:
That is so chiseled and precise that it’s like a mathematical formula. Hat tip to you.
germy
Onion Headline:
WaterGirl
@germy: Stand your ground, dammit!
Gin & Tonic
@WaterGirl: In all the pictures I’ve seen they had no clothes, so concealed carry wasn’t possible.
randy khan
Even the Johnson pardon came about not because Trump understood the systemic issues (as if!), but because of a personal plea from a celebrity. Trump more or less uses the pardon power because he can and to make himself feel powerful, not as a way to address injustices in the system or to recognize people who have turned their lives around.
BTW, typical Obama to set up a process to achieve a goal, work the process, and then implement it. It seems so . . . alien nowadays.
rikyrah
@ruemara:
That is who they are.
They don’t believe in little ‘ d’ democracy. Never have.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Gin & Tonic: Open carry is better anyway. Scares off those liberal snakes.
WaterGirl
@Gin & Tonic: You must be looking at the wrong Instagram account. :-)
Doug R
@Gin & Tonic:
Oh yeah?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/09/08/woman-pistol-vagina-charged-unlawful-carry/71899282/
ruemara
@Doug R: It’s too early for this fuckery. 100 years from now, it will still be too early for this fuckery.
JC
@Gin & Tonic:
C’mon man! You know better!
https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2018/04/28/woman-forced-loaded-gun-into-her-vagina-to-hide-it-from-police-7505218/amp/
Miss Bianca
@germy: OK, that may be my new favorite “Onion” headline…
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
rikyrah
???
The Nakamoto Group, hired by ICE to do inspections, rarely reports on serious violations—identified by @DHSOIG—at immigrant detention centers.
Consequently, Congress & other policy makers may have a misleading picture of the true state of detention: https://t.co/YyWJ7852L9
— Project On Government Oversight (@POGOBlog) March 13, 2019
rikyrah
See,
It’s all gonna come out??
A new detail here: Canada’s abrupt decision to ban the 737 MAX this morning came hours after viewing detailed data that was provided to the FAA two days ago https://t.co/4SXNGTozbL
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) March 13, 2019
rikyrah
Donald Trump: I’m not grounding these defective Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 737 MAX 9 planes, because the CEO of Boeing keeps donating money to me
New York state: We just killed Paul Manafort
Donald Trump: Okay, I’m grounding the planes as a distraction
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) March 13, 2019
Gin & Tonic
@JC: @Doug R: You guys are on the list now.
Kdaug
Know what? The sun is shining, the dog is sleeping, birds are chirping, and I’m going to leave theae shitstorms up to you jackals while I take a nap.
Try to have a habitable planet when I wake up
Aleta
Quotes from Judge ABJ’s sentencing (Andrew Prokop @awprokop)
raven
@Steeplejack: It was originally a publication done by some friends from Urbana. I don’t know if they are still involved or not.
WaterGirl
@Miss Bianca: I don’t know, I don’t see how anything can top the “why do all these guys keep sucking my dick” headline.
MattF
…and Trump rejects the Senate ‘compromise’ on emergency powers. And loses another Republican Senate vote.
WaterGirl
@MattF: He truly has mastered the Art of the Deal! But only if it’s Opposite Day.
Aleta
They try every trick and lie they can think of, playing the odds that some of it will get through. It’s not just legal strategy for the wealthy, it’s political strategy and election and vote prevention strategy. The strategy of corruption, for developers, polluters, Wells Fargo, health insurance companies.
rikyrah
Uh huh ?
Nadler: “Unlike in the hearing room, Whitaker did not deny that the president told him to discuss the Michael Cohen case and personnel decisions in the Southern District.”
— Nicholas Fandos (@npfandos) March 13, 2019
Roger Moore
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch:
Obama may have issued more pardons than every other president since FDR and still not granted enough. FWIW, though, this includes only pardons for people who were convicted. It leaves out things like Jimmy Carter’s blanket pardon of Vietnam era draft dodgers, which was IMO an example of a very good use of the pardon.
Kay
This Yang 2020 site is just wild.
Look at all the policies!
My 16 year old texted me about him. I said “is he the UBI guy?” Well, yes! But there’s more….
Kay
He has a plan for literally everything.
Roger Moore
@WaterGirl:
“Why Do All These Homosexuals Keep Sucking My Cock?” isn’t the best Onion headline. That would go to “Bush: ‘Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'”.
raven
@WaterGirl: Did you know “Chef Ra”?
trollhattan
@Roger Moore:
Followed VERY closely by
Mary G
@Kay: “Every Cop Gets a Camera” is my favorite. I guess I will send him a dollar or two to get into the debates.
WaterGirl
@Roger Moore: In my dreams, the next Democratic president pardons all illegal immigrants who haven’t committed violent crimes. Real crimes, not the bullshit they get them for now with ICE.
hueyplong
@trollhattan: “Sphere” makes what became Trump sound too svelt, but otherwise it’s a great headline.
WaterGirl
@raven: Know him? No. Think I’ve seen him around, yes. I had no idea that started here!
raven
@WaterGirl: He died years ago but he was one of my oldest pals. President of the UHS class of 68.
WaterGirl
@Roger Moore: That’s my #2!
WaterGirl
@raven: My picture of him is that he was a happy guy.
zhena gogolia
@Roger Moore:
Yes. That will never be topped.
Raven
@WaterGirl: He was really brilliant and a great athlete. He was doing what he wanted to with the pro-weed movement but I always thought he had more to offer. His sister worked for Janet Reno at justice and, one day, she called his sis in and said “Is Jim your brother”? Sis was freaked until Reno pulled out a copy of the mag and asked here to get it autographed!
R-Jud
@Roger Moore: I like the elegance of “Supreme Court Rules Supreme Court Rules”.
WaterGirl
@Raven: What a great story!
Kraux Pas
@trollhattan:
It rode that early front-runner status to the presidency. But who would have known it was working the earth for 70 years prior? thought it would have been longer…
Raven
@WaterGirl: There will be a memorial at the Esquire June 22 for my buddy who died yesterday. I expect there will be some serious yarns wove at that!
J R in WV
Regarding those quotes from Judge Jackson in the sentencing hearing for Manafort…
She specifically said (IIRC) that Manafort clearly was proven to have colluded with the Russians (Konstantin Kilimnik to be really specific!) when he handed over Trump’s polling metadata. Which no Republican is ever going to mention or recall, ever Never!
WaterGirl
@Raven: That’s a good choice for location. I take it you won’t be there?
Raven
@WaterGirl: I don’t think so, it’s hard to get up there anymore.
WaterGirl
@Raven: Yeah, I get that.
Mnemosyne
I know it drives defense lawyers nuts when people say that we should be giving rich white actresses punishments in line with the ones that poor black drug dealers got for similar crimes, but there’s an easy way to fix that: grant pardons to the non-white/non-rich people who got sentences that were way too harsh.
Until then, though, we all know that Laughlin and Huffman are going to get slaps on the wrist while a Black mother continues her FIVE YEAR PRISON SENTENCE for using her babysitter’s address to send her first grader to a better school.