Unlike previous presidents, Trump showed little interest in using the Justice Department’s Pardon Attorney system to evaluate executive clemency requests. Instead, petitioners are approaching the White House directly, calling or emailing senior adviser Jared Kushner, chief of staff Mark Meadows or White House adviser Pat Cipollone – when they are unable to speak to Trump.
He forgave or commuted the sentences of some people serving long prison terms for minor offenses, like Alice Johnson, who spoke at the Republican National Convention.
But in general, Trump’s pardon record broke with historical norms. Many of the prominent criminals he forgave showed little regret or remorse for his crimes and few argued that they were unjustly convicted.
He is expected to adhere to that record on Tuesday when he issues about 100 pardons or commutations. The final batch of clemency actions is expected to include a mix of pardons aimed at criminal justice reform and other more controversial ones guaranteed or distributed to political allies. White-collar criminals, famous rappers and a prominent ophthalmologist from Palm Beach, Florida, who is in prison after being convicted of dozens of health care fraud charges, should be on the list.
“Everyone assumed that there is no formal process and that they should contact the government directly,” a person familiar with the matter told CNN. “Everyone hopes to have a friend of a friend of a friend of a cousin that they hope will make them read their email.”
The 11-hour clemency lot is in keeping with presidential tradition.
President Barack Obama pardoned or commuted the sentences of 330 individuals the day before he stepped down, a record number that was mainly for low-level drug offenders serving mandatory sentences.
President George W. Bush was more moderate in his use of pardons and commutations. He commuted the sentences of two border agents on leaving office (Trump later forgave them). But he wrote in his memoirs how a wave of requests came to him when he ended his term.
“One of the biggest surprises of my presidency was the flood of apologies at the end. I couldn’t believe the number of people who pulled me aside to suggest that a friend or ex-colleague deserved forgiveness. At first I was frustrated. Then I was disgusted “, he wrote in” Decision points “.
“I came to see a huge injustice in the system,” he added. “If you had calls with the president, you could insert your case into the last minute frenzy. Otherwise, I would have to wait for the Justice Department to conduct a review and make recommendations. In my last few weeks in office, I decided that I would not forgive anyone who to leave the formal channels. “
Bush said he told Obama on his shared limo ride to the US Capitol for Obama’s inauguration to develop a forgiveness policy from the beginning and stick to it.
President Bill Clinton attracted scrutiny for his pardons and commutations of 140 people on Induction Day in 2000, which included high-profile donors and political supporters like Marc Rich, his stepbrother Roger and Patty Hearst. Some of them came after intermediaries, paid large sums, intervened with Clinton to defend his case. But most of the people on his list still went through the Department of Justice process.
President George HW Bush pardoned a dozen people a day before leaving office. President Ronald Reagan forgave about 25 people during his last week as president. And President Jimmy Carter, on leaving office, forgave Pete Yarrow of the Peter, Paul and Mary group for an “indecent liberties” offense with a 14-year-old girl.