Both Bill and Hillary Clinton spoke out this week against President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libbey's sentence for perjury. Someone should tell them there is a difference between a pardon and a commutation. With a commutation, there is still a fine to be paid and a reputation as a felon with all that implies.
Hillary Clinton said it showed cronyism in the Bush White House. What does she have to say about the pardons given by Bill Clinton. There were at least 27 pardons given to residents of Arkansas. They were also given to people convicted of drug charges, bribery, obstruction of justice, perjury, armed bank robbery, income tax evasion, and trading with Iran in violation of the trade embargo. Bill Clinton even pardoned his brother for conspiracy and distribution of cocaine.
I think before Hillary Clinton says anything else, she should look at the record of her and Bill's co-presidency.
This is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
1 comment:
All recent presidents issue plenty of pardons. The difference is that Libby was convicted for lying to investigators who were investigating the Bush administration. The crimes Libby was involved in blew the cover of an undercover operative, and placed everyone she came in contact with during her years in the field at risk.
Libby covered up for people who risked our CIA operatives' and informants' lives - in this country and abroad -- for simple political payback.
At the same time, President Bush has said to everyone else in his adminsitration that they can lie in court. They can lie to investigators. Protecting the president and his political allies matter more than honoring that oath you take at hearing. Perjury and obstruction are no big deal. You will not serve time.
It's quite a turn around from eight years ago when the Republican considered such behavior "high crimes and misdemeanors".
And I imagine the Libby got a commutation instead of a pardon because he can still appeal his conviction. He'll get his pardon on 2009-01-20.
It really shows how loyal Bush is to his people rather than to the lay. Even Nixon didn't pardon his allies in the Watergate fiasco.
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