The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/white-house">White House</a> brushed off on Thursday the suggestion of President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> pardoning his son, Hunter, after a judge placed a plea deal on hold.
&#8220;No,&#8221; White House Press Secretary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/karine-jean-pierre">Karine Jean-Pierre</a> said in response to a reporter who asked if there was any possibility of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pardon">pardon</a>. She quickly moved on to another question.
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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave a definitive answer when asked whether President Joe Biden would pardon his son Hunter. <a href="https://t.co/bLJcdbjz1u">pic.twitter.com/bLJcdbjz1u</a>
&mdash; Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/BreitbartNews/status/1684662512766132228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hunter-biden">Hunter Biden</a>, 53, had agreed with the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice">Department of Justice</a> (DOJ) to plead guilty to a pair of misdemeanor tax offenses and enter a pretrial diversion agreement for a felony firearm offense that could spare the first son from time in prison.
But, during a hearing on Wednesday, Delaware U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hunter-biden-plea-deal-almost-derails-after-questions-about-scope-of-deal-immunity">put off a decision</a> on the plea deal after raising concerns about the terms of the agreement.
Agents with the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs">Internal Revenue Service</a> (IRS) who have come forward with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-whistleblower-says-story-from-hunter-biden-prosecutor-has-been-changing">whistleblower testimony</a> claim the criminal case led by Delaware&#8217;s U.S. Attorney David Weiss has been slow-walked in a way that precluded more serious charges against the younger Biden.
After the plea deal was announced last month, Republicans argued it was evidence of the DOJ going too easy on the president&#8217;s son, particularly as they <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rand-paul-blasts-dems-for-setting-terrible-precedent-with-impeachment">work to investigate</a> a pattern of millions of dollars flowing from foreign nationals to the Biden family under suspicious circumstances.
Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Donald Trump,</a> who is himself facing criminal charges, said the DOJ was handing &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-mere-traffic-ticket-trump-slams-doj-for-hunter-biden-plea-deal">a mere traffic ticket</a>&#8221; to Hunter Biden. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said the &#8220;<a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/two-tiered-system-of-justice-republicans-rip-doj-over-hunter-biden-plea-deal/">sweetheart plea deal</a>&#8221; showed a &#8220;two-tiered system of justice.&#8221;
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Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/merrick-garland">Merrick Garland</a> has pushed back on <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/garland-pushes-back-suggestion-biden-treated-trump-documents/story?id=96617834">claims of political interference</a> while the DOJ has given Weiss, who has insisted he had &#8220;full authority&#8221; to bring charges, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hunter-biden-prosecutor-will-be-allowed-to-testify-before-congress-after-republicans-slam-plea-deal">approval</a> to testify to Congress.
Hunter Biden&#8217;s attorney, Christopher Clark, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-weigh-hunter-biden-plea-deal-enflamed-critics/story?id=101618340">said last month</a> that his client &#8220;believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life&#8221; and &#8220;looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.&#8221;
Jean-Pierre <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karine-jean-pierre-gets-hammered-over-hunter-biden-plea-deal-falling-apart">said</a> on Wednesday that the president and first lady Jill Biden &#8220;love their son, and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life.&#8221; She also stressed that Hunter Biden is a private citizen and the criminal case was a &#8220;personal matter&#8221; for him. The press secretary diverted any further questions to the DOJ and to Hunter Biden&#8217;s legal team.

Hunter Biden

White House Says ‘No’ To A Hunter Biden Pardon

White House Says 'No' To A Hunter Biden Pardon

Executive

Joe Biden

Karine Jean-Pierre

Pardon

U.S.

White House

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/eric-holder">Eric Holder</a>, who served as attorney general during the Obama administration, offered a scenario where he would support <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pardon">pardoning</a> former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.
The issue arose during an interview that aired Sunday with Margaret Brennan, moderator of CBS News&#8217;s &#8220;Face the Nation,&#8221; as Trump faces charges in a documents-related case. Some polling shows that most Americans <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4055163-most-americans-support-trump-pardons-if-hes-convicted/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">support a pardon</a> if Trump is convicted.
&#8220;I want to ask you to put on your attorney general hat again, would you counsel President [Joe] Biden or the next president, whoever that is, to consider a pardon of the 45th president of the United States, either before or after a theoretical conviction?&#8221; Brennan asked.
&#8220;I think I&#8217;d tell the president — the next attorney general — you know, to let the system do its work, try the cases, see what the results are. And then treat that convicted president or anybody else who was convicted as any other person would be treated,&#8221; Holder said.
&#8220;Pardons generally are for people who express remorse and then who have done things that show that they have turned their lives around,&#8221; Holder added. &#8220;If those kinds of determinations can be made with regard to the former president or anybody else who was convicted, yeah, I would support that. In the absence of something like that, I don&#8217;t think that would be a wise thing to do.&#8221;
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When asked if the next president should pardon former President Trump if he&#39;s convicted in any case, former AG <a href="https://twitter.com/EricHolder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EricHolder</a> says, &quot;Pardons are generally for people who express remorse.&quot;
&quot;In the absence of something like that, I don&#39;t think that would be a wise thing to do.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/rKEDwQ9THU">pic.twitter.com/rKEDwQ9THU</a>
&mdash; Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1675529191574437888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In a case brought by special counsel Jack Smith, Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-turns-himself-in-to-authorities-at-miami-court">pleaded not guilty</a> to 37 federal charges, including 31 alleged violations of the Espionage Act for the “willful retention” of national defense information, as well as charges related to obstruction and making false statements.
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Trump, now engaged in a 2024 campaign for president, may also face charges stemming from Smith&#8217;s inquiry into efforts geared toward <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pence-does-not-remember-any-pressure-from-trump-to-urge-governors-to-find-2020-election-fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fighting the outcome of the 2020 election</a>. Trump broadly denies any wrongdoing and claims he is the target of a “witch hunt.”
Some GOP candidates for the 2024 presidential nomination <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/2024-candidates-weigh-in-on-whether-they-would-pardon-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have indicated they would support</a> a pardon, while others have been more hesitant or outright rejected the idea.
Trump also faces state-level charges in the New York hush-money <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-delivers-feisty-mar-a-lago-speech-after-new-york-arraignment">case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg</a>. Charges in a 2020 election-focused inquiry in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fulton-da-responds-to-trump-attacks">Georgia may soon follow</a>. Although a president can only pardon federal offenses, there is room for the governor or other executive officials <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/05/02/donald-trump-pardon-00094636" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to issue pardons on the state level</a>.

Eric Holder

Obama Attorney General Shares View On Pardoning Trump

Eric Holder Shares What It Would Take For Him To Support A Trump Pardon

Donald Trump

General

Politics

Several 2024 contenders hoping to replace President Joe Biden in the White House have answered questions about pardoning former President Trump.
Last week Trump appeared in a federal courtroom in Miami and pleaded not guilty to 37 charges, including 31 alleged violations of the Espionage Act for “willful retention” of national defense information, as well as charges related to obstruction and making false statements.
During an interview last month on &#8220;The Clay Travis &amp; Buck Sexton Show,&#8221; Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who is currently second to Trump in GOP primary polls, said he plans to be <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/asked-pardoning-trump-president-desantis-aggressive/story?id=99609762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;aggressive&#8221;</a> with issuing pardons. When asked about Trump, he said, &#8220;any example of disfavored treatment based on politics or weaponization would be included in that review, no matter how small or how big,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/desantis-says-consider-presidential-pardons-jan-6-rioters-rcna86393" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to NBC News</a>.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said the question of a pardon is a &#8220;premature&#8221; one <a href="https://twitter.com/MeetThePress/status/1670420624467009537" target="_blank" rel="noopener">when asked</a> by &#8220;Meet The Press&#8221; host Chuck Todd on NBC. &#8220;I don’t know why some of my competitors in the Republican primary presume [Trump] will be found guilty,&#8221; he added.
“Well I’m not going to deal with the hypotheticals, but I will say that every American is innocent until proven guilty,&#8221; Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1670423643594149890">said</a> during an appearance on &#8220;Fox News Sunday.&#8221;
In a recent appearance on a <a href="https://radio.foxnews.com/2023/06/14/chris-christie-on-pardoning-trump-pledging-to-support-the-gop-nominee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox Nation podcast</a>, former New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie indicated that he would not pardon Trump.
&#8220;I think it’s impossible to answer that right now and be fair. Remember, the pardon power is the power to say if you if somebody thinks someone’s been treated unfairly, if you think there’s not been a fair trial, you have to consider all those things,&#8221; he told host Brian Kilmeade.
&#8220;I can’t imagine if he gets a fair trial that I would pardon him,&#8221; Christie said. &#8220;I can’t imagine that I would remember. The other problem: to accept a pardon, you have to admit your guilt. To accept a pardon, you have to say, &#8216;yes, I was wrong and I, and I accept the pardon.&#8217; I can’t imagine Donald Trump would ever do that.&#8221;
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Former Arkansas GOP Governor Asa Hutchinson, who <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/asa-hutchinson-trump-indictment-b2354337.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called on Trump to drop out</a> of the 2024 race after the federal indictment came out, rejected the idea of discussing pardons while running for the White House.
&#8220;That&#8217;s a misuse of the pardon power and should have no place in a campaign or a serious discussion of the office of president,&#8221; Hutchinson <a href="https://www.newschannel5.com/gop-candidate-asa-hutchinson-not-offering-trump-a-pardon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Scripps News&#8217; &#8220;Morning Rush.&#8221;</a>
Former South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley, who served as United Nations ambassador during the Trump administration, said on <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-travis-and-sexton-57927691/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;The Clay Travis &amp; Buck Sexton Show&#8221;</a> that it is &#8220;really premature&#8221; to make a call but indicated that she would be &#8220;inclined in favor of a pardon.&#8221;
Last week, presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy demanded other candidates in the 2024 race <a href="https://twitter.com/JuliaManch/status/1668635921863020544" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sign a pledge</a> to pardon Trump in the documents case or explain their refusal.
Larry Elder, a conservative talk show host, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/larry-elder-counters-ramasamys-trump-pardon-challenge-targeting-soros-funded-das?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Fox News</a> that he would instruct his attorney general to &#8220;drop the politically motivated charges against Trump.
Elder also pushed for legislation to fight &#8220;weak-on-crime&#8221; district attorneys across the country, a move that could be consequential for Trump as he also faces state-level charges in the New York hush-money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Charges in a 2020 election-focused inquiry in Georgia may soon follow.
On the Democratic Party side, the campaign for Robert Kennedy Jr. told Fox News they &#8220;have no comment on any Initiative which comes from Republican primary candidates.&#8221;

Former President Trump

2024 Candidates Weigh In On Whether They Would Pardon Trump

2024 Election

Chris Christie

Crime

Mike Pence

Nikki Haley

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Ron DeSantis

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/africa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rwandan</a> human rights hero Paul Rusesabagina is set to be released from prison.
The Rwandan Ministry of Justice announced Friday that Rusesabagina&#8217;s prison sentence had been commuted by an order from Rwandan President Paul Kagame. A hero of the Rwandan Genocide who sheltered more than 1,200 refugees fleeing militia groups, Rusesabagina&#8217;s story was told in the award-winning 2004 film &#8220;Hotel Rwanda.&#8221; He had been kidnapped and imprisoned since 2020.
Yolande Makolo, a spokeswoman for the Rwandan government, said in a statement to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/rwanda-rusesabagina-trial-human-rights-5b1d0f01344e454b2ae7474af1da83e4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a> Friday that the order came in response to a request for clemency. Rusesabagina is expected to be released on Saturday, Makolo added.
The Ministry of Justice issued a <a href="https://www.minijust.gov.rw/index.php?eID=dumpFile&amp;t=f&amp;f=65544&amp;token=0d5effaef84f253a0be3ec6f1aa2f8c36115a715" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> announcing the order, but also said that the orders came with a catch. &#8220;Under Rwandan law, commutation of sentence does not extinguish the underlying conviction,&#8221; the statement read. &#8220;If any individual benefitting from early release repeats offences of a similar nature, the commutation can be revoked and the remainder of the prison sentence will be served, in accordance with the conditions specified in the Presidential Order. Other penalties imposed by the Court, such as compensation owed to victims, are not affected by this commutation and thus remain in force.&#8221;
According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/24/1165886663/paul-rusesabagina-hotel-rwanda-hero-will-be-released-prison" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NPR</a>, Rusesabagina was kidnapped in 2020 when he boarded a plane in Dubai that he believed was headed to Burundi. Instead, he landed in the Rwandan capital city of Kigali. He was promptly arrested and tried on terrorism charges over his involvement with Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), AP reported. The MRCD&#8217;s militant wing, the Forces for National Liberation (FLN), had carried out attacks in 2018 and 2019, which killed nine Rwandans. Rusesabagina said at trial that he did help form the militia group, but did not support violence.
The Ministry of Justice statement also included a letter from Rusesabagina to Kagame requesting clemency. “If I am granted a pardon and released, I understand fully that I will spend the remainder of my days in the United States in quiet reflection,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;I can assure you through this letter that I hold no personal or political ambitions otherwise. I will leave questions regarding Rwandan politics behind me.”
In <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/my-nations-original-sin-biden-offers-africa-55-billion-gets-mocked-by-african-leader" target="_blank" rel="noopener">December</a>, Kagame rejected pressure from U.S. diplomatic officials to release Rusesabagina. “We’ve made it clear there isn’t anyone going to come from anywhere to bully us into something to do with our lives,” he said. “Maybe make an invasion and overrun the country — you can do that.&#8221;
But Makolo credited the U.S. for handling negotiations. “Rwanda notes the constructive role of the U.S. government in creating conditions for dialogue on this issue, as well as the facilitation provided by the state of Qatar,” Makolo said.
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Rwandan Press Secretary <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSecRwanda/status/1639282783112556544?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephanie Nyombayire</a> added that Rusesabagina&#8217;s release &#8220;is the result of a shared desire to reset US-Rwanda relationship.&#8221;
Rusesabagina will be flown to Doha, Qatar, before returning to the U.S. and reuniting with his family.
Rusesabagina achieved worldwide fame for his actions in the Rwandan Genocide. He opened the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali to more than 1,200 Hutu and Tutsi refugees fleeing the Hutu paramilitary group Interahamwe in 1994. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his heroics in 2005, and his story was dramatized in the 2004 film &#8220;Hotel Rwanda,&#8221; starring Don Cheadle.

Paul Rusesabagina

Paul Rusesabagina, Of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Fame, Granted Clemency After Being Kidnapped And Jailed

Paul Rusesabagina, Of 'Hotel Rwanda' Fame, Granted Clemency After Being Kidnapped And Jailed

Africa

Human Rights

Prisoners

World

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> gave full pardons to six individuals Friday who had already served their sentences for the crimes that they committed.
The end of the year pardons were given to individuals who were convicted of crimes ranging from murder to drug-related charges.
Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, 80, was convicted of murder in the second degree while armed for killing her husband when she was 33 years old. Ibn-Tamas, who was pregnant during the murder, testified that her husband beat and threatened her right before she killed him.
&#8220;During her trial, the court refused to allow expert testimony regarding battered woman syndrome, a psychological condition and pattern of behavior that develops in victims of domestic violence,&#8221; a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/30/clemency-recipient-list-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the White House said. &#8220;Ms. Ibn-Tamas was ultimately sentenced to a term of one to five years’ incarceration, with credit for time served. Ms. Ibn-Tamas’s appeal marked one of the first significant steps toward judicial recognition of battered woman syndrome, and her case has been the subject of numerous academic studies.&#8221;
Ibn-Tamas later became the Director of Nursing for an Ohio-based healthcare business where she continues to work to this day.
Gary Parks Davis, 66, pled guilty at age 22 to the use of a communication facility (a telephone) to facilitate an unlawful cocaine transaction. Davis served his six-month sentence on nights and weekends at a county jail, the statement said. He went on to earn a bachelor&#8217;s degree and own a landscaping company.
Edward Lincoln De Coito III, 50, was pardoned over a marijuana trafficking conspiracy charge that he was convicted of at age 23. After serving roughly a year and a half in prison, he worked as an electrician and a pilot. He is a U.S. Army veteran.
Vincente Ray Flores, 37, was convicted of consuming ecstasy and alcohol while serving in the military. After serving his sentence and other penalties, he returned to active duty where he won numerous awards and continues to serve today.
Charlie Byrnes Jackson, 77, pled guilty to a single count of possession and sale of distilled spirits without tax stamps when he was 18 years old. He is an active member of his church and has a track record of helping people in need.
John Dix Nock III, 72, pled guilty to one count of renting and making for use, as an owner, a place for the purpose of manufacturing marijuana plants, the White House said. He operates a general contracting company and helps mentor young men.

US-POLITICS-BIDEN

Biden Grants Full Pardons To Six Individuals, Including Woman Convicted Of Killing Husband

Biden Administration

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>’s mass pardon of those convicted of simple <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marijuana">marijuana</a> possession on Thursday is likely to benefit many who were arrested for more serious crimes, according to a legal expert from The Heritage Foundation.
Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/06/statement-from-president-biden-on-marijuana-reform/">announced</a> an order Thursday pardoning thousands of people convicted of “simple possession of marijuana.” The president also called on the Health and Human Services secretary and the attorney general to “review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.”
“As I often said during my campaign for president, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana. Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit,” Biden said in a statement.
A vast majority of criminal convictions are the <a href="https://bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh186/files/media/document/PleaBargainingResearchSummary.pdf">result</a> of plea deals, so many of those benefiting from the president’s pardon were likely originally charged with more serious crimes, according to Paul Larkin, senior legal research fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.
“95% of the time, federal prosecutors engage in plea bargaining,” Larkin told The Daily Wire. “Is it possible or likely people are going to benefit from this who don&#8217;t deserve it because they actually were accused of a more serious crime? Damn right there is.”
Larkin served nearly a decade investigating and prosecuting criminal cases for the Department of Justice. In addition, he served stints as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee and as a special agent for, and later acting director of, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“You are going to have a very large number of people affected by this who were charged with something far more serious so that the government had leverage to get them to cooperate, and then they pled it down to a simple misdemeanor possession,” Larkin said. He gave the example of a drug runner caught smuggling contraband into the U.S. via a go-fast boat.
“Everybody who gets arrested in that circumstance for bringing in, you know, a large quantity of ganja is going to be, you know, eager to make a plea deal because they want to cut their time in prison,” Larkin said. “So what do they do? The government goes along as long as they cooperate. The guy piloting the go-fast boat says who he dealt with at the freighter and who he was supposed to deliver the cannabis to onshore. All that sort of stuff.”
“So they make cases, which is good, and then the guy who helps them out gets a break,” Larkin said.
A senior administration official <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/10/06/background-press-call-on-marijuana-reform/">told</a> reporters on Thursday that Biden’s order is estimated to apply to “over 6,500 people” convicted of simple marijuana possession from 1992 to 2021, as well as thousands of others convicted under the Washington, D.C., drug code. The official also said that no one is in federal prison today solely on simple marijuana possession.
Trevor Burrus, research fellow for constitutional studies at the CATO Institute, said that Biden’s announcement was “welcome and long overdue.” Biden’s announcement will “hopefully be the first of many that will roll back our monstrous federal war on marijuana,” Burrus said in a statement.
“[F]or 85 years it has ruined countless lives. Marijuana should never have been prohibited, and President Biden further asking the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review marijuana’s Schedule I status will hopefully correct that error,” Burrus said.
Larkin said the timing of Biden’s pardon, coming weeks before midterms and on the heels of Biden’s student debt relief announcement, strongly suggests political motives.
“This is just, really, a fraudulent use of the pardon power because it&#8217;s designed to deceive the public into thinking he&#8217;s actually done something noble,” Larkin said. “You know, you can do the right thing for the wrong reason, and that&#8217;s what&#8217;s going on here. If you think these people should not have been convicted because this should not be a crime, then you should have done it early on.”

Biden’s Mass Pardon For Marijuana Possession Likely Benefitting Offenders Guilty Of Worse Crimes, Expert Says

Biden's Mass Pardon For Marijuana Possession Likely Benefitting Offenders Guilty Of Worse Crimes, Expert Says

Marijuana

Washington D.C.

Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) admitted on Wednesday night that he had asked former President Donald Trump for two pardons and a commutation — and he said that he had asked the same of President Joe Biden.
Massie&#8217;s admission comes against the backdrop of the ongoing January 6 Committee hearings and claims from Congresswoman Liz Cheney that a number of Republicans had preemptively asked Trump for pardons — specifically because of their actions related to the Capitol riot.
&#8220;I have an admission to make,&#8221; Massie tweeted. &#8220;I asked Trump for TWO pardons and a commutation, and I ask the same of Biden. Pardon Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, and commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht.&#8221;
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I have an admission to make. I asked Trump for TWO pardons and a commutation, and I ask the same of Biden.
Pardon Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, and commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht.
&mdash; Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1542338722691272705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Assange, who now <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/british-court-approves-julian-assange-extradition-to-u-s-wikileaks-founder-awaiting-final-decision/">faces possible extradition</a> from the United Kingdom to the United States, released military secrets via Wikileaks and has spent the last several years incarcerated in the U.K. He was previously removed from Ecuador&#8217;s embassy in London in 2019. The U.S. Justice Department has filed charges against Assange pursuant to the Espionage Act, alleging that the documents he released were classified.
President Trump reportedly considered a pardon for <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/william-barr-vehemently-opposed-to-trumps-potential-pardon-of-edward-snowden/">Snowden</a> — a move strongly opposed by then Attorney General William Barr — who was a former National Security Agency contractor charged with leaking classified information. Snowden leaked information to journalists in 2013 indicating that an NSA terrorist-tracking program had also collected data from millions of Americans&#8217; phone calls. He claimed that he leaked the information because the data collection was a civil rights violation — and after he leaked the information he fled the U.S., first heading to Hong Kong and then to Russia.
Ross Ulbricht is <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ross-ulbricht-aka-dread-pirate-roberts-sentenced-life-federal-prison-creating">currently serving</a> a double life sentence plus 40 years without parole for his role in creating and operating the dark-net market site Silk Road. The anonymous site — which used bitcoin in order to keep sales untraceable — facilitated illegal sales of narcotics and other things. Ulbricht operated the site from 2011-2013 until he was arrested, and in 2015 he was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit computer hacking, conspiracy to traffic fraudulent identity documents, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics by means of the internet.
In addition to his serious request for Ulbricht&#8217;s commutation and pardons for Snowden and Assange, Massie appeared to be poking fun at the January 6 Committee and the claims that Republicans had begged Trump for pardons for themselves.
Congressman Adam Schiff doubled down on the claim during a recent CNN appearance, telling anchor Dana Bash that he did have evidence of those requests but refusing to reveal any of the names or even how many requests there were. He claimed at the time that he did not want to &#8220;get ahead&#8221; of the hearings.
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Rep. Adam Schiff tells Dana Bash that he &quot;has evidence&quot; of Trump&#39;s involvement on January 6th, but he can&#39;t reveal it because he doesn&#39;t &quot;want to get ahead of the hearing.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mAcVL6LW5R">pic.twitter.com/mAcVL6LW5R</a>
&mdash; Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) <a href="https://twitter.com/VAKruta/status/1538618905727746048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2022</a></blockquote>
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House Judiciary Committee Holds Markup On Protecting Our Kids Act

Republican Congressman Admits To Asking Trump For Two Pardons

Rep. Thomas Massie Admits To Asking Trump For Two Pardons: Edward Snowden And Julian Assange

Thomas Massie

Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) appeared to take a page from Congressman Adam Schiff&#8217;s (D-CA) playbook when he repeatedly told CNN anchor Dana Bash that he had &#8220;evidence&#8221; that a number of Republicans begged former President Donald Trump to pardon their <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/real-bullst-fox-news-segment-goes-off-the-rails-when-guest-brings-up-january-6th-hearings/">January 6th</a> activities.
Raskin made an appearance Sunday on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; to discuss the ongoing public January 6th Committee hearings, which began last Thursday and will carry into the coming week. Bash made a note of the claim that Republicans had asked Trump for pardons, and pressed Raskin on it several times to no avail.
WATCH:
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Jamie Raskin takes a page from Adam Schiff&#39;s playbook — insists there is &quot;evidence&quot; Republicans begged Trump for pardons over <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/January6th?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#January6th</a> but won&#39;t reveal what it is. <a href="https://t.co/bEqtT3F7C6">pic.twitter.com/bEqtT3F7C6</a>
&mdash; Virginia Kruta (@VAKruta) <a href="https://twitter.com/VAKruta/status/1536162455738621952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I want to ask you about pardons,&#8221; Bash began. &#8220;You revealed this week that multiple Republican members of Congress sought pardons from President Trump after the insurrection. How many of your colleagues in Congress did that? And what evidence do you have? Because you know that congressman Scott Perry is denying it.&#8221;
<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/jamie-raskin-second-trump-impeachment-a-dramatic-success-trumps-lawyers-explosive-and-deranged/">Raskin</a> appeared to evade Bash&#8217;s questions — namely how many Republicans he was accusing and what kind of evidence he had against them. Instead, he argued that if Republicans had done such a thing, it was an indicator that they were guilty of a crime and knew that.
&#8220;The seeking of pardons is powerful demonstration of the consciousness of guilt, or at least the consciousness you may be in trouble,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That’s what’s so shocking about this. It’s not just one.&#8221;
&#8220;You have evidence that this happened?&#8221; Bash asked again.
&#8220;It is multiple members of Congress, as the vice chair said at our opening period,&#8221; Raskin said, still not giving a firm number and saying only that the truth would come out in time. &#8220;And all in due course. The details will surface.&#8221;
&#8220;So, yes, there’s evidence?&#8221; Bash tried a third time.
&#8220;Everything we’re doing is documented by evidence,&#8221; Raskin insisted. &#8220;Unlike the big lie, which is based on nonsense, as former Attorney General Barr said. Everything that we’re doing is based on facts and this is a bipartisan investigation, which is determined to ferret out all the facts of what happened.&#8221;
The Washington Examiner&#8217;s Byron York made it clear that he was not impressed with Raskin&#8217;s answers. &#8220;I&#8217;m not saying the J6 committee does not have evidence on this topic,&#8221; he tweeted. But to make a serious charge and then, when asked for proof, say, &#8216;all in due course, the details will surface&#8217; — that is not a responsible way to operate.&#8221;
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I&#39;m not saying the J6 committee does not have evidence on this topic. But to make a serious charge and then, when asked for proof, say, &#39;all in due course, the details will surface&#39; &#8212; that is not a responsible way to operate. From CNN: <a href="https://t.co/Q2jtyd2KEQ">pic.twitter.com/Q2jtyd2KEQ</a>
&mdash; Byron York (@ByronYork) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/1535998598164389888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;It&#8217;s the Adam Schiff model. Didn&#8217;t hurt him at all when everything he&#8217;d said about Russian collusion was exposed as a lie, why should these Democrats (one of which is Schiff) care?&#8221; Derek Hunter <a href="https://twitter.com/derekahunter/status/1536094309799317504">added</a>.
Schiff repeatedly insisted that he had <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/report-adam-schiff-knew-russiagate-would-go-nowhere-pursued-trump-russia-connection-anyway/">evidence of Russian collusion</a> within the Trump campaign — but was never able to reveal any of it publicly.

House January 6 Committee Holds Hearing To Present Findings

Raskin Channels Schiff, Insists To CNN He Has ‘Evidence’ Republicans Begged Trump For January 6 Pardons

Jamie Raskin Insists To CNN He Has ‘Evidence’ Republicans Begged Trump For January 6 Pardons

Adam Schiff

Dana Bash

Jamie Raskin

January 6

January 6 Committee

President Joe Biden will issue his first pardons on Tuesday to three people, including a former Secret Service agent, and will reduce the sentences of 75 others to mark the start of Clemency and Second Chance Month.
The effort focuses attention on reducing sentences for non-violent drug crimes ahead of the nation&#8217;s November midterm elections.
&#8220;Today, I am pardoning three people who have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation and are striving every day to give back and contribute to their communities,&#8221; Biden said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/26/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-clemency-and-second-chance-month/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on Tuesday.
&#8220;I am also commuting the sentences of 75 people who are serving long sentences for non-violent drug offenses, many of whom have been serving on home confinement during the COVID-pandemic—and many of whom would have received a lower sentence if they were charged with the same offense today, thanks to the bipartisan First Step Act,&#8221; he added.
Among the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/26/clemency-recipient-list/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three people</a> to be pardoned is Abraham Bolden, &#8220;an 86-year-old former U.S. Secret Service agent and was the first African American to serve on a presidential detail. In 1964, Mr. Bolden was charged with offenses related to attempting to sell a copy of a Secret Service file.&#8221;
Biden will also pardon Betty Jo Bogans of Houston, Texas. A statement from the White House says Bogan &#8220;is a 51-year-old woman who was convicted in 1998 of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in the Southern District of Texas after attempting to transport drugs for her boyfriend and his accomplice, neither of whom were detained or arrested.&#8221;
Dexter Jackson, 52, from Atlanta, Georgia, is the third person who will be pardoned by the president. &#8220;Mr. Jackson was not personally involved in trafficking marijuana, but allowed marijuana distributors to use his pool hall to facilitate drug transactions,&#8221; the White House noted.
Most of the 75 individuals listed for reduced sentencing in the White House statement were convicted for non-violent drug offenses.
In addition to issuing three pardons and commuting the sentences of dozens of others, Biden will introduce a series of policies in a $145 million job training program for federal prisons.
The White House is <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/26/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-expands-second-chance-opportunities-for-formerly-incarcerated-persons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling</a> the Department of Justice and Department of Labor partnership &#8220;a first-of-its-kind collaboration to invest $145 million over FY22-FY23 to provide job skills training and individualized employment and reentry plans for people incarcerated in Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities, and to provide pathways for a seamless transition to employment and reentry support upon release.&#8221;
Biden also addressed the pardons as part of America&#8217;s focus on second chances.
&#8220;America is a nation of laws and second chances, redemption, and rehabilitation. During Second Chance Month, I am using my authority under the Constitution to uphold those values by pardoning and commuting the sentences of fellow Americans,&#8221; he wrote.
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America is a nation of laws and second chances, redemption, and rehabilitation. During Second Chance Month, I am using my authority under the Constitution to uphold those values by pardoning and commuting the sentences of fellow Americans.
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1518964169697107970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Biden To Issue First Pardons, Including Former Secret Service Agent

Drugs

President Donald Trump is reportedly set to issue approximately 100 pardons and commutations to white-collar criminals, high-profile rappers, and others on his last full day in office.
The White House held a meeting on Sunday to finalize the list of pardons, two sources <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/17/politics/trump-pardons-expected/index.html">told</a> CNN.
&#8220;Initially, two major batches had been ready to roll out, one at the end of last week and one on Tuesday. Now, officials expect the last batch to be the only one—unless Trump decides at the last minute to grant pardons to controversial allies, members of his family or himself,&#8221; the network reported.
It&#8217;s unclear if high-profile names such as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange or former Trump adviser Steve Bannon are on the list.
CNN said Trump &#8220;will issue pardons that he could benefit from post presidency. &#8216;Everything is a transaction. He likes pardons because it is unilateral. And he likes doing favors for people he thinks will owe him,&#8217; one source familiar with the matter said.&#8221;
One person reportedly on the list is Dr. Salomon Melgen, an eye doctor from Palm Beach, Florida, who was convicted on dozens of counts of healthcare fraud.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-prepares-to-offer-clemency-to-more-than-100-people-in-his-final-hours-in-office/ar-BB1cQo7i">reported</a> that Trump was personally involved in the discussions.
&#8220;Trump met Sunday with his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, daughter Ivanka Trump and other aides for a significant amount of the day to review a long list of pardon requests and discuss lingering questions about their appeals, according to the multiple people briefed on the meeting. The president was personally engaged with the details of specific cases, one person said,&#8221; the Post reported.
<blockquote>The president has been besieged by lobbyists and lawyers for well-heeled clients who are seeking to have their criminal convictions wiped from their records, as well as by advocates for criminal justice reform, who argue that their clients were wrongly convicted or were given unfair sentences and deserve to be freed from prison.
Trump has told advisers for weeks that he wants to be liberal with pardons before leaving office. Aides have said the ability to grant clemency is a perk of the job Trump has particularly relished because the Constitution hands the power to the president alone.</blockquote>
The week before Christmas, Trump granted clemency to 49 people, bringing his total to 94. Trump pardoned two people convicted in the special counsel investigation on alleged Russia collusion, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and longtime confidant Roger Stone. Trump also pardoned Michael T. Flynn, who served as Trump’s first national security adviser.
About 14,000 people have filed petitions for pardons and commutations, the Post wrote.
Trump is among the presidents who have granted the fewest pardons and commutations. For instance, former President Barack Obama granted clemency 1,927 times during his eight-year tenure, including 212 pardons and 1,715 commutations. Meanwhile, former President George H.W. Bush granted 77 pardons and commutations during his single term.

White collar crime

Trump To Issue Approximately 100 Pardons, Commutations On Tuesday: Report

New details emerged on Thursday night regarding a story that broke earlier this week, and that the Justice Department was looking into, about a potential bribery scheme in which a presidential pardon was sought.
The revelation, which was made in court <a href="https://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/sites/dcd/files/20gj35%20Partial%20Unsealing%20Order.pdf">documents</a> that were unsealed on Tuesday in federal court, originally did not disclose “a timeline of the alleged scheme, or any names of people potentially involved, except that communications between people including at least one lawyer were seized from an office that was raided sometime before the end of this summer,” CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/01/politics/presidential-pardon-justice-department/index.html">reported</a>. “No one appears to have been publicly charged with a related crime to date.”
The New York Times reported on Thursday night that the matter involved a top fundraiser for President Donald Trump and an attorney connected to the president&#8217;s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Sources said &#8220;it concerned efforts by the lawyer for Mr. Kushner, Abbe Lowell, and the fund-raiser, Elliott Broidy, who pleaded guilty in October to a charge related to a different scheme to lobby the Trump administration,&#8221; the Times reported. &#8220;A billionaire San Francisco real estate developer, Sanford Diller, enlisted their help in securing clemency for a Berkeley psychologist, Hugh L. Baras, who had received a 30-month prison sentence on a conviction of tax evasion and improperly claiming Social Security benefits, according to the filing and the people familiar with the case.&#8221;
&#8220;Under the suspected scheme, Mr. Diller would make &#8216;a substantial political contribution&#8217; to an unspecified recipient in exchange for the pardon,&#8221; the report added. &#8220;He died in February 2018, and there is no evidence that the effort continued after his death.&#8221;
No bribe was ever paid. No one has been charged in the DOJ&#8217;s inquiry into the matter. No government officials are currently the subject of a target of the inquiry.
CNN separately <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/01/politics/trump-rudy-giuliani-pardons/index.html">reported</a> that Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani is one individual that some Trump associates are pushing Trump to pardon:
<blockquote>President Donald Trump’s associates are making appeals to him in the hopes of obtaining pardons before he leaves office, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Tuesday.
The source said the list of associates broaching the subject of preemptive pardons that would seek to shield those individuals from prosecution includes Rudy Giuliani, who has been leading the President’s long-shot legal battles to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in his role as Trump’s personal attorney. …
Giuliani denied discussing a preemptive pardon with the President, telling CNN that The “(New York) Times is completely wrong.” He further denied that he has talked to anyone at the White House about a pardon for himself.
It’s not clear what potential criminal exposure Giuliani or other associates are attempting to preempt. But the first source familiar with the discussions went on to cite what friends and allies of the President see as hostility from the incoming Biden administration toward Trump associates.</blockquote>
This report has been updated to include additional information.

Horizontal color photo of White House in Washington DC on a clear summer evening

New Details Emerge On People Involved In Story Of Alleged Bribery Scheme To Obtain ‘Presidential Pardon’: Report

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