Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote Crime and Punishment in 1866.
154 years later, Donald Trump, with his gross misuse of his Presidential powers, is writing the perverse sequel Crime and Pardon.
Throughout his Presidency, Donald Trump has seen his office as a way to issue get out of jail free cards to people who:
- Support him and his views.
- Are represented by supporters, patrons, or sympathetic news organizations (Fox.)
Among the notable questionable pardons and commutations issued before this week were those issued to:
- Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
- Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
- Trump political consigliere Roger Stone.
- Dick Cheney ally Scooter Libby.
- Conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza
- Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik.
- Navy Seal Edward Gallagher.
Over the last two days, the “Law and Order” President, with less than a month to go in his tweet filled tyranny, has set new lows in his misuse of the pardon powers granted him by the Consitution.
These undeserved pardons and commutations were given to:
- Three corrupt ex Congressmen who supported Donald Trump (Christopher Collins, Duncan Hunter, and Steven Stockman.)
- Duncan Hunter’s wife.
- Charles Kushner, the father of Mr. Trump’s son in law.
- Four individuals who obstructed the Mueller Investigation or lied to Congress (Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, George Papadopoulos, and Alex Van Der Zwaan.)
- Blackwater Employees who killed 17 innocent Iraqis in 2007 (Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard.) These “men” worked for Trumpist Eric Prince. He is the brother of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
So in Donald Trump’s mindset, you can commit any crime ranging from campaign finance violations to obstructing Congress and federal investigations to mass murder as long as you pay homage (and donations) to the Chief Executive Demagogue, Donald Trump.
Or as Paul Waldman headlined in a recent column:
“Trump’s new pardons send a message: Corruption is fine if you’re a Republican”
This is probably not how the Founders envisioned the President using the Pardon powers granted to the Executive Branch in the Constitution.
So far, only one Republican in the United States Senate, frequent Trump critic Ben Sasse, has criticized Trump on his pardons, stating:
“This is rotten to the core.”
Where are the other Republicans in the House and the Senate?
Do they not realize their enabling and humoring of the 2016 and 2020 Popular Vote Loser over the last five years, including the impeachment process, only made matters worse for the American People and the country?
Who is he going to be pardoned next? Steve Bannon? Family Members? Himself?
In this holiday season when people are suffering and dying in large part because of Donald Trump’s mishandling of the COVID 19 pandemic, the people that deserve the least reason to cheer the day before Christmas are the criminals whose sole redeeming quality, according to Individual One, is they support him.
Thankfully, the rest of the country will have reason to celebrate when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take over the helm of the ship of state on January 20, 2021.
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Off topic, but I thought I’d share this Tweet from Donald’s Twitter account tonight:
“Donald Trump
@realdonaldtrump
As we begin the Christmas celebration and on this holy night, the First Lady and I would like to pause for prayer in remembrance of the 335,000 Americans who were lost to the virus these past 10 months, and to let their families know they’re in our thoughts.”
Just kidding! I made that up!!! Of course!
Trump is celebrating Festivus in his Twitter feed tonight, you can tell because he’s starting with the Airing of the Grievances.
Tomorrow is The Feats of Strength!
Only 26 more days until 46 and a week until 2021!
So Merry Christmas every body!
Stay safe.
Tom
At least President Trump did not pardon any FLN terrorists like Clinton and Obama did. To quote NPR:
López Rivera was part of a militant group that fought for Puerto Rican independence, called the FALN. “Between 1974 and 1983, the FALN claimed responsibility for more than 70 bombings in New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.,” Marlon Bishop and Maria Hinojosa of NPR’s Latino USA have reported. “The bombings caused millions in property damage, dozens of injuries and five deaths.”
Clinton pardoned sixteen convicted FLN members and Obama just one, Lopez Rivera.
Of course, the FLN’s acts do not rise to the level of lying to an FBI agent conducting a BS investigation, so maybe Clinton and Obama were OK.
On a different note, “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.”
John, “whataboutism” is a Russian tactic, usually used to discredit the west. If you criticize Russia, they say “what about your racism, what about your homeless”… etc.
Sometimes comparing something is a valid response, but it’s not in this case. The Clinton pardons were a huge scandal at the time, covered in all the major papers and news outlets, and are still considered one of many stains on the Clinton presidency.
You won’t find many progressive liberals who support them, or defend Clinton. We’re not a cult.
You would be better served making your point by explaining why you think the Trump pardon’s are justified. Can you try that?
And FYI, the Clinton pardon’s have come up in multiple “lame stream” news articles this week, no one’s forgotten.
Maybe your party should change the mascot from an elephant to something that’s not known for never forgetting, because you seem to think everyone has selective memory loss.
If you want to debate, do better.
In a just world Trump and his spawn would be convicted of every one of their crimes against the Constitution and the nation. Sentencing would include doing the time of all those Trump unjustifiably pardoned. Such abuse of presidential pardon powers should not go unaccounted for.