Lest you forget about Bill Clinton

Parent Cafe
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<p>All the criticism of Bush for pardoning Scooter Libby forced me to go to the trouble of finding a list of people Clinton pardoned. Also remember that he lied to a judge…</p>

<p>Anyway, some of the crimes he pardoned people for:</p>

<p>Knowingly making under oath a false declaration regarding a material fact before a Grand Jury, 18 U.S.C. § 1623</p>

<p>Conspiracy to defraud the United States by filing a false document with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 18 U.S.C. § 371; 15 U.S.C. §§ 78m. 78n, and 78ff</p>

<p>Making false statements to federal agents (two counts), 18 U.S.C. § 1001</p>

<pre><code>Receipt of illegal payments under the Medicare Program, 42 U.S.C. § 1395nn(b)(1)(B)
</code></pre>

<p>Armed bank robbery and using a firearm during a felony, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2113(a) and (d) and 924(c)(1)</p>

<p>False declarations before grand jury, 18 U.S.C. § 1623</p>

<p>Wire fraud, mail fraud, racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, criminal forfeiture, income tax evasion, and trading with Iran in violation of trade embargo, 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343, 1341, 1962(c), 1962(d), 1963, and 2; 26 U.S.C. § 7201, 50 U.S.C. § 1705, and 31 C.F.R. §§ 535.206(a)(4), 535.208 and 535.701</p>

<pre><code>Willful transmission of defense information, unauthorized possession and retention of defense information, theft of government property, 18 U.S.C. §§ 641, 793(d), and 793(e)
</code></pre>

<p>Conspiracy to corruptly solicit and accept money in return for influencing the official acts of a federal district court judge, and to defraud the United States in connection with the performance of lawful government functions; corruptly influencing, obstructing, impeding, and endeavoring to influence, obstruct, and impede the due administration of justice, and aiding and abetting therein; traveling interstate with intent to commit bribery, 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1503, 2, and 1952</p>

<p>There’s a lot more you can see for yourself (<a href=“http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/clintonpardon_grants.htm[/url]”>http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/clintonpardon_grants.htm&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>Please. Say what you will about Bush pardoning Libby, but don’t try to say that Bush is just another corrupt Republican because of it. Clinton pardoned dozens upon dozens of people for crimes that were just as bad.</p>

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<p>And don’t forget that Clinton apparently needed the word “is” defined.</p>

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<p>Yes, yes, wonderful exhibition of cut ‘n’ paste. Except of course Bush <em>hasn’t</em> pardoned Libby, he’s commuted his sentence. Before you go whooping and hollering after Clinton (again!), figure out what it is people are <em>currently</em> excised about. When you find out that the former President commuted the sentences of his dear friends and politicos, then write again.</p>

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<p>So when your kids smokes dope or rapes or robs…it’s OK cause somebody else did it? If you have to use Bill Clinton as your litmus test of what a good president is or isn’t… Well I guess you have set your sights knee high haven’t you? </p>

<p>That’s what I don’t get about you folks, you are constantly argueing GW’s transgressions are at least comparable to BC, SO? That makes them OK?
Is that your personal standard of acceptable? Are you happy to have your kids be as good as the stoner kid next door? </p>

<p>Did Gw run on the platform of “I’ll be as good as Bill?” I don’t remember that so why are you constantly settling for that?</p>

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<p>Presidents have the power to pardon people, and as far as I can remember all of them have used it, except maybe Nixon (who, of course, was on the receiving end of the most famous, and controversial, Presidential pardon ever). If you look behind each President’s use of the pardoning power, I’m sure you’ll find one part disinterested sense of justice mixed with four to five parts political dealmaking (e.g., Clinton’s pardon of Marc Rich at the behest of a longtime contributor).</p>

<p>To some extent, I would be LESS incensed if Bush had outright pardoned Libby. I’m not in favor of criminalizing government service, or of using the threat of prosecution to get aides to rat out their bosses. In a sense, Bush SHOULD pardon Libby, since Libby has been the quintessential loyal footsoldier. This commutation of sentence is a weasly, wimpy compromise.</p>

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<p>Since you dislike cut and paste jobs, here’s a link for you:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/commutationspaocht.htm[/url]”>http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/commutationspaocht.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Fwiw, why should we look negatively at all commutations and pardons. There are reasons why Presidents have been given this power, and one might very well be that commutations and pardons are the only ways to reverse the injustice of a judicial system that has lost much of its sense of humanity and logic.</p>

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<p>Clinton did bad things so that makes it OK for Libby to do bad things and for Bush to see to it that he is not punished for doing bad things.</p>

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<p>Date: July 2, 2007
To: Lewis “Scooter” Libby
From: Office of the Vice President
Re: Houskeeping</p>

<p>Dear Scooter:</p>

<p>Congratulations on recieving your commutation of sentence from President George W. Bush. </p>

<p>That you recieved this commutation of your prison sentence on the eve of the Independence Day holiday makes it even more sweet. All of us in the Administration wish you and the family a great July 4th holiday. Scooter, we are pleased you and your family will be able to enjoy the local parade, hot dog BBQ and evening fireworks without having that prison monkey on your back.</p>

<p>Scooter, a few things first however. First, the VP requests that since your prison sentence has now been commuted you please return the large, locked metal Halliburton briefcase you have been holding on to since you were sentenced. Please return both sets of keys to it as well. The contents will be verified upon reciept.</p>

<p>Second, please make sure that when completing the deletion of the remaining files–you know which ones we are talking about–on your laptop computer, you remove the hard drive from the machine. Once the hard drive is removed deposit it in the number 10 “burn bag” you were given yesterday. Follow the directions on the “burn bag,” making sure all contents of the hard drive have been destroyed.</p>

<p>Lastly, We are sorry we can’t invite you to the “Office of the Vice President Independence Day picnic.” Since there will be readings of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and other matters relating to the rule of law, the VP thought it prudent you avoid attending this close to the commutation. However, Scooter, you can bet you will be in our thoughts on Wednesday. </p>

<p>Sincerly,
Office of the VP</p>

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<p>i before e
except after c
or when sounding like a
as in neighbor and weigh</p>

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<p>Perhaps my point wasn’t clear. Democrats are howling over how Bush pardoned Libby (a real spawn of satan), when their beloved Slick Willie pardoned countless people for similar offenses.</p>

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<p>Once again – Bush has not pardoned Libby. The conviction stands – it is the jail term that will not be served. As for the ‘pardons’ that Clinton or whomever gave, they are often given to ordinary people who were given excessive sentences or whose guilt was established only through questionable judicial acts (your attorney sleeping through your trial…oh, no Bush didn’t pardon that guy…he was executed in Texas on Alberto Gonzales’s recommendation. Or say it’s been established that you are mentally ■■■■■■■■…no, he was executed too.) I’m more concerned with the fact that GWB has used his pardon/commutation ability about as often as he’s vetoed legislation. Which is to say…rarely if at all.</p>

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<p>Yeah, yeah, I know he didn’t actually “pardon” him. He took away the jail but left the 250k fine and all yada, yada, yada</p>

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<p>250 K is peanuts to Libby.</p>

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<p>It’s already been raised in the last Abramoff bake sale.</p>

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<p>Number of pardons Bush has granted: 113, less than any President in a century
Number of pardons Bush has denied: More than 1,000
Number of commutation requests Bush has denied: More than 4,000</p>

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<p>Sibelius,</p>

<p>Looks like you are not very good at looking at dates and numbers. Let me help you: please look at the dates of pardon and the sentenced dates; all of those people had at least served some jail time. They were all old cases. On the other hand, Bush went out of his way to intervene so Libby won’t even spend 1 minute in jail. This is just too easy!</p>

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<p>On the other hand, for a guy that hadn’t pardon even people who had served significant jail time easily and signed more death warrants (as TX governor) than any other elected official alive, commuting Libby’s jail term is an interesting contrast.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3298443.stm[/url]”>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3298443.stm&lt;/a&gt; :D</p>

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<p>Xiggi: except, of course, for weird science.</p>

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<p>What Democrats are “howling” about, as indeed are Republicans concerned with justice, is that:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>this commutation comes in a context where professional intelligence and federal prosecution have been incredibly politicized.</p></li>
<li><p>Commutations like this (where the person has served no jail time, shown no remorse, and is currently appealing his conviction) are exceedingly rare. Those are the rules for people who AREN’T close cronies of Bush and Cheney. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>This is what the DOJ manual has to say about commutations:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/petitions.htm[/url]”>http://www.usdoj.gov/pardon/petitions.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also, Bush circumvented the normal procedures, including consulting with DOJ prosecutors. The bypassing of normal procedures and normal standards for commutations in this case proves that all are not equal under the law in the sight of this administration.</p>

<p>But as Monica Goodling proved with civil service laws, when this particular brand of Republican wants to give another of his ilk an unfair advantage, the rule book flies out the window.</p>