Now that Hillary Clinton’s name is being bandied about for future Secretary of State, DBKP thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the Clinton adminstration–Mrs. Clinton claims part of her “past experience” was working as a “partner” in her husband’s administration–and take a look at Presidential pardons: specifically those made by her husband, Bill.

Presidential pardons are part and parcel of presidential duties. A president has a chance to “undo” past “wrongs: the first presidential pardon was granted by George Washington to the leader of the Whiskey Rebellion, Tom the Tinker. Andrew Johnson gave unconditional amnesty to all those who served under the Confederacy, he also pardoned three people who were convicted in the Lincoln assassination: Dr. Samuel Mudd, Edmund Spangler, and Samuel Arnold. Jimmy Carter granted unconditional amnesty to Vietnam War draft dodgers as well as a posthumous pardon to Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy. Other pardons were not seen in a favorable light: Richard Nixon pardoned convicted mobster, Jimmy Hoffa. Nixon’s successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned his old boss, Richard Nixon. Carter pardoned G. Gordon Liddy, a participant in Watergate. George H. Bush pardoned several participants convicted in the Iran-Contra Affair.

What’s also noted is the number of pardons granted by Presidents:

During two terms Harry S. Truman granted 1913 pardons. Dwight D.Eisenhower pardoned 1110. During his tragically short tenure, John F. Kennedy pardoned 472. Lyndon Baines Johnson pardoned 960 while Richard Nixon granted 863. Gerald Ford, during his 29 months as President, pardoned 382, while Carter’s total was 534. Ronald Reagan, during two terms in office, granted 393 pardons.

George H. Bush issued 75 pardons. His successor, Bill Clinton pardoned or granted clemency to 456 persons. During the last days of his second and final term, Clinton granted 140 pardons. To date: George W. Bush has granted 157 presidential pardons. The final number is yet to be determined: Bush has until the final minutes of his term in office to grant further pardons.

A look at those who received presidential pardons from Bill Clinton is interesting: Bill Clinton issued a pardon to his brother, Roger Clinton, who was convicted for cocaine distribution. Not only did Roger get a pardon, so did several others who were convicted on charges of either possession, distribution, or importation of cocaine: Clinton granted a total of 38 pardons.

Clinton also pardoned 23 who were convicted either of possession, distrubution, or importation of marijuana. Twelve pardons were granted for convictions of distribution, or possession of controlled substances or illegal drugs such as PCP or LSD. Out of 456 pardons or clemency, Bill Clinton issued 73 related to illegal drug possession, distribution, or importation convictions.

All in the Family

Both of Hillary Clinton’s brothers were involved in receiving money from people in exchange for lobbying their brother-in-law for pardons. Hugh Rodham earned $400,000 for a pardon and clemency granted by Bill. Hillary denied both she and Bill had any knowledge of the monies exchanged for pardons while Hugh purportedly “returned” the fee.

Hillary’s other brother, Tony, was sued by a couple who paid him $100,000 as a “loan” for a pardon. According to Boston.com, in a congressional report Hillary Clinton claimed Tony “wasn’t paid” for getting a pardon, and that Hillary immediately “expressed chagrin over the news in 2001 that Tony had received the money–and asked him to return it”. So there you have it, according to Hillary, Tony wasn’t paid, even though a judge ruled that Tony had to return the money “he was never paid”.

In August of 1999, news that Clinton had “quietly” pardoned 16 members of a terrorist group known as FALN, or Armed Forces of National Liberation, stunned members of Federal law enforcement: the FBI, the U.S. Attorney office that had prosecuted the 16, as well as the New York City cops, whom three members were severely injured when two bombs, planted by the group, exploded at the entrance of One Police Plaza on New Year’s Eve, 1982.

The first bomb took blew off Officer Rocco Pascarella’s lower leg. Twenty minutes later more carnage ensued when a second bomb exploded while Detective Anthony Senft and Officer Richard Pastorella attempted to diffuse it. Both policemen were blown 15 feet into the air by the force of the blast. Senft was blinded in one eye, his facial bones and one hip shattered. Pastorella was blinded in both eyes, and lost all his fingers of his right hand. ”

By 1996, the FBI had linked FALN to 146 bombings and a string of armed robberies — a reign of terror that resulted in nine deaths and hundreds of injured victims.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, Clinton claimed he granted the 16 pardons because those who were offered the pardons had “sentences that were disproportionate to the crimes”:

“Mr. Clinton justified the clemencies by asserting that the sentences were disproportionate to the crimes. None of the petitioners, he stated, had been directly involved in crimes that caused bodily harm to anyone. “For me,” the president concluded, “the question, therefore, was whether their continuing incarceration served any meaningful purpose.”"

It was discovered that the 16 hadn’t even requested clemency and that Clinton had ignored federal guidelines on commutations. Two of those offered a pardon by Clinton refused. None of the victims of the bombings, nor family members who had loved ones killed were told about potential pardons by Clinton. A bomb decapitated four victims during a 1975 bombing at a Tavern in Lower Manhattan, nor were FBI, the Bureau of Prisons, or those who investigated and prosecuted the 16, consulted nor contacted prior to the pardons.

Bill Clinton circumvented federal guidelines and did not attempt to get imput from any of the Federal agencies nor local law enforcement involved, nor family members whose loved ones were killed, nor those who injured by the group’s reign of terror planted bombs. The pardons were a complete surprise and a “slap in the face” to those who had risked their lives to bring to justice to a terrorist group whose intentions were to murder innocent citizens.

Those pardoned were convicted of “conspiracy, sedition, violation of the Hobbes Act (extortion by force, violence or fear), armed robbery and illegal possession of weapons and explosives — including large quantities of C-4 plastic explosive, dynamite and huge caches of ammunition.”

Video surveillance captured two of those pardoned firing weapons and building bombs. Seven hundred hours of video surveillance provided a wealth of damning evidence against those convicted.

Timing is Everything

At the time of the pardons, Hillary Clinton was running for a New York Senate seat and being lobbied by “three members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — Luis V. Gutierrez (D., Ill.), Jose E. Serrano, (D., N.Y.) and Nydia M. Velazquez, (D., N.Y.) — along with local Hispanic politicians and leftist human-rights advocates” for the FALN pardons. Yet Hillary Clinton denied any part in the pardons so that leaves a gaping hole in the logic as to why Bill Clinton would pardon 16 convicted terrorists. The terrorsts got their pardons even though they never asked for one.

Pardons for Petty Crimes and other “Sundries”

Other pardons by Bill Clinton included those who were convicted of stealing cars, mail and wire fraud, making false statements on bank loans, making false statements on income tax returns, conspiracy to conduct illegal gambling business, embezzlement, counterfeiting, theft, bribery of a public official, income tax evasion, stealing mail, bank robbery, and extortion.

The “Compassionate” Clintons

Bill Clinton’s “compassion” extended to pardoning financier Marc Rich, who had fled to Swizterland after being indicted on charges of tax fraud to the tune of $48 million. Rich was also charged with running illegal oil deals during the Iran hostage crisis of 1970-80. According to Time, Clinton’s pardon of Rich in 2001, was ranked as one of the “Ten Most Notorious Presidential Pardons”.
Rich’s wife, Denise, had donated “heavily” to the Clintons, Bill Clinton’s Presidential Library, and the DNC. Money was no object as Denise donated $70,000 to Hillary’s Senate run, $450,000 to Bill’s Presidential Library fund, and has donated an estimated $1 million to Democratic “causes”.

Hillary and Denise Rich at a “Post-Pardon” fundraiser

Rich’s pardon caused widespread outrage from both sides of the aisle. Once again, Clinton shunted aside pardon rules: Rich never expressed regret for his actions nor served a single day in a cell.

By the end of Clinton’s two terms as President he had pardoned his brother, a multi-millionaire financier on the lam in Switzerland accused of $48 million in tax evasion and oil deals with Iran while they held American’s hostage whose socialite wife “contributed” hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hillary’s Senate campaign and Bill’s Presidential Library.
Clinton also pardoned 14 members of a terrorist group, so feared by law enforcement that protective gear was standard issue when members were prosecuted in courts, who had murdered nine citizens and injured “hundreds” in a string a bombings in the U.S.. Clinton’s “compassion” also extended to dozens convicted of various charges involving cocaine. Clinton granted hundreds of Presidential pardons to those convicted of crimes which seemed an odd choice: why would a President take the time to pardon several people convicted of stealing cars, mail fraud, illegal immigration, or illegal gambling?

While Clinton may never explain many of the pardons, what is known is that in many cases Clinton circumvented the standard practice of issuing pardons: the 16 pardons offered to the terrorist FALN members were never requested. Clinton failed to contact those involved in the arrest and prosecution of the terrorists, nor family members or victims.

Clinton’s “compassion” extended only to the terrorists, not to those who lost their leg, or their eyesight, nor family members whose heads were blown off by bombs planted by the group. Clinton’s compassion was also extended to his own brother, Roger, who was convicted of distributing cocaine, while Hillary’s two brothers, Tony and Hugh, were caught accepting money for pardons granted by their brother-in-law, Bill.

Word on the MSM street is that Hillary Clinton may be chosen by President-elect Obama as his new Secretary of State. Hillary has several scandals in her own closet as well as Pardongate: the “missing” Rose Law Firm records, Travelgate, Johnny Chung Fundraising Scandal, Cattle Futures Scandal, and Whitewater. None of these scandals, or other “mini-scandals” that have come Hillary’s way have mattered not one whit to Hillary’s rising political career: after her defeat by Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential primaries, Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady and Junior Senator from New York, is now widely popular among Democrats.

By LBG
Source – USDOJ – Presidential Pardons
Image – Denise Rich and Hillary Clinton
Image – Get out of Jail Free Card