In March 2000, Bill Clinton pardoned Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory, owners of the carnival company United Shows International, for charges of bank fraud from a 1982 conviction. Although the couple had already been released from prison, the prior conviction prevented them from doing business in certain American states. First LadyHillary Clinton’s youngest brother, Tony Rodham, was an acquaintance of the Gregorys, and had lobbied Clinton on their behalf.[15] In October 2006, the group Judicial Watch filed a request with the U.S. Justice Department for an investigation, alleging that Rodham had received $107,000 from the Gregorys for the pardons in the form of loans that were never repaid, as part of a quid pro quo scheme.[16]
Pardons and commutations signed on President Clinton’s final day in office[edit]
Clinton issued 140 pardons as well as several commutations on his last day of office, January 20, 2001.[17][18] When a sentence is commuted, the conviction remains intact; however, the sentence can be altered in a number of ways.
Peter MacDonald had been sentenced to 14 years at a Federal Prison in Texas for fraud, extortion, inciting riots, bribery, and corruption stemming from the Navajo purchase of the Big Boquillas Ranch in Northwestern Arizona. On the day before President Clinton left office, U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy lobbied the White House to commute the sentence of the former leader of the Navajo Nation. MacDonald’s sentence was commuted after he served 10 years.
Clinton issued [140 pardons]( as well as several commutations on his last day of office, January 20, 2001. When a sentence is commuted, the conviction remains intact; however, the sentence can be altered in a number of ways.
[Peter MacDonald] had been sentenced to 14 years at a Federal Prison in Texas for fraud, extortion, inciting riots, bribery, and corruption stemming from the Navajo purchase of the [Big Boquillas Ranch] in Northwestern Arizona. On the day before President Clinton left office, U.S. Rep. [Patrick J. Kennedy] lobbied the White House to commute the sentence of the former leader of the [Navajo Nation]. MacDonald’s sentence was commuted after he served 10 years.
[Carlos Vignali] had his sentence for [cocaine] trafficking commuted, after serving 6 of 15 years in federal prison.
[Almon Glenn Braswell] was pardoned of his 1983 [mail fraud] and [perjury] convictions.[[19]] In 1998 he was under federal investigation for [money laundering] and tax evasion charges.[[20]] Braswell and [Carlos Vignali] each paid approximately $200,000 to Hillary Clinton’s brother, [Hugh Rodham], to represent their respective cases for clemency. Hugh Rodham returned the payments after they were disclosed to the public.[[21]] Braswell would later invoke the [Fifth Amendment] at a Senate Committee hearing in 2001, when questioned about allegations of his having systematically defrauded senior citizens of millions of dollars.[[23]]
[Linda Evans] and [Susan Rosenberg], members of the radical [Weather Underground] organization, both had sentences for weapons and explosives charges commuted: Evans served 16 years of her 40-year sentence, and Rosenberg served 16 of her 58 years.[[24]][[25]]
[Marc Rich], a fugitive who had fled the U.S. during his prosecution, was residing in Switzerland. Rich owed $48 million in taxes and was charged with 51 counts for tax fraud, was pardoned of [tax evasion]. He was required to pay a $1 million fine and waive any use of the pardon as a defense against any future civil charges that were filed against him in the same case. Critics complained that [Denise Eisenberg Rich], his former wife, had made substantial donations to both the [Clinton library] and to Mrs. Clinton’s senate campaign. According to [Paul Volcker]'s independent investigation of [Iraqi Oil-for-Food] kickback schemes, Marc Rich was a [middleman] for several suspect Iraqi oil deals involving over 4 million barrels (640,000 m3) of oil.[[26]] Longtime Clinton supporters and Democratic leaders such as former President [Jimmy Carter] Carter said the pardons were “disgraceful.”[[27]]
[Susan McDougal], who had already completed her sentence, was pardoned for her role in the [Whitewater scandal]. McDougal had served the maximum possible 18 months, including eight in solitary confinement, on contempt charges for refusing to testify about Clinton’s role.
[Dan Rostenkowski], a former [Democratic] [Congressman] from [Illinois] and Chairman of [House Ways and Means Committee], was pardoned for his role in the [Congressional Post Office scandal]. Rostenkowski had served 13 months of a 17-month sentence before being released in 1997.[[28]] After his release from prison, Clinton granted him a pardon in December 2000.[[29]][[30]]
[Mel Reynolds], a Democratic Congressman from Illinois, was convicted of [bank fraud], 12 counts of sexual assault of a child, [obstruction of justice], and solicitation of [child pornography]. His sentence was commuted on the bank fraud charge and he was allowed to serve the final months under the auspices of a [halfway house]. Reynolds had served his entire sentence on child sex abuse charges before the commutation of the later convictions.
[Patty Hearst], who was kidnapped by the [Symbionese Liberation Army] in 1974. After being isolated and threatened with death, she became supportive of their cause, making propaganda announcements for them and taking part in illegal activities. After her arrest in 1975, she was found guilty of bank robbery. Her conviction and long prison sentence were widely seen as unjust, but the procedural correctness of her trial was upheld by the courts. Hearst’s sentence was commuted by President [Jimmy Carter], and she was pardoned by President Bill Clinton.[[31]]
Roger Clinton, the president’s brother, was pardoned for drug charges after having served the entire sentence more than a decade earlier.[[citation needed]] Roger Clinton would be charged with drunk driving and [disorderly conduct] in an unrelated incident within a year of the pardon.[[32]] He was also briefly alleged to have been utilized in lobbying for the Braswell pardon, among others.[[citation needed]] However, no wrongdoing was uncovered.
Harvey Weinig, a former Manhattan lawyer who was sentenced in 1996 to 11 years in prison for facilitating an extortion-kidnapping scheme and helping launder at least $19 million for the Cali cocaine cartel.[[33]][[34]]
Biden is smart enough to know that the impeachment trial will be counterproductive at best. Sure the Congress is upset. But they just got to see personally what the left did to cities and state Capitols all summer.
Well the 17 Executive Orders he immediately penned don’t exactly rebuild the economy. In fact, they destroyed thousands of jobs in the middle of a pandemic. But he did help things internationally. Putin now has more reason to like us since he canceled the Keystone Pipeline permits. And Mexico has more reason to like us since he halted construction of the wall and gave electoral representation to illegals here. The American worker, unfortunately, got the crappy end of the stick.
I really do wonder what people expected, and if they are happy with what’s happening. Considering when asked what they hope he’ll accomplish the response was “not be racist”, I guess the bar was really, really low.
The bar for economic growth and the unemployment rate was raised substantially. Sadly, it looks like we’re headed back to the Obama years with no V-shaped recovery from the pandemic possible. As for racism - we can kiss the lowest black unemployment rate ever goodbye.
Are you sure? Put that comment in your calendar and set a reminder for Jan 1 2025.
There is a reason why we jumped straight to cutting checks for everybody, with the fed aggressively in printing mode, instead of wasting time looking for shovel ready projects like back in 09. This year and the next will see the fastest economic growth in generations.
We learned a valuable lesson in 09. And that is we need to be way more aggressive with our fiscal and monetary rescue efforts. Obama was way too timid, to his detriment.
Fiscal and monetary policy was more than aggressive enough under Obama. Too aggressive, actually.
The mistake was regulating away any chance of recovery no matter how much money was printed. And we’re doing it again, right from the get-go.
BTW - Alberta is talking trade sanctions over the Keystone fiasco.
. When Obama left Gold was about $1000. he reversed Gold price rally. stabilized dollar.
In year 2008 there were 1.65 dollars to 1 Euro. when he left dollar was almost parity to Euro.
these are important achievements for those who understand it.
