The thing is, pardons can be corrupt. If you exchange a pardon for e.g. a fundraiser, then you’ve committed a corrupt act. You’re subject then to impeachment or recall (if you’re not already on the way out), and you’re subject to indictment for bribery or other forms of corruption crimes. The problem, as always, is that no one pursues these cases against the sort of elites who end up as Presidents or Governors. It’s no different than Rod Blagojevich swapping his right to appoint Obama’s replacement in the Senate for something of value to himself. If just one person got prosecuted for this shit, it would be dialed back quite sharply.
At the State level- the Kentucky state legislature is looking to start an ethics campaign on the governor for his clemency and restoring voting rights via pardon power to most of the state’s ex-felons. This includes claims of pay-for-play.
It’s clear they want to impeach over this.
Isn’t impeaching him pointless, as he’s already on the way out? What they need to do is launch a grand jury corruption probe. Any competent prosecutor could get a grand jury to indict in the cases of obvious tit-for-tat.
The Kentucky governor just started office, this was his first act. It puts McConnell in some jeopardy, as it’s probably a net +50k votes against him.
Ah, this is confusing. I’m talking about the outgoing GOP Governor Bevin, who has issued a few hundred pardons, a few for people who committed genuinely horrific crimes, and in some cases apparently related to other people who were contributors to or fundraisers for Bevin.
Incoming Democrat Beshear hasn’t pardoned anyone. He issued an executive order restoring the voting rights to convicted felons who committed non-violent crimes and have completed their sentences. That was a campaign promise he ran on.
Update:
Blago did get nailed for that, remember? He is, and has been, in jail since.
Yes, I know. I’m saying pardons for cash should get the same treatment.
Ah then we are in complete agreement.
We are synonymous.
I’ve been trying to make it through this article this morning, but it keeps making me cry, so I have to keep stopping and compose myself.
Thanks for posting this.
Wow, tough read but worthwhile.
Very hard to read. The sadistic murderer gets pardoned and called a hero by Trump and Fox and decent soldiers suffer. The only solace I see is that he at least had to serve six years.