Best newspaper graphic ever
President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday commuted the remaining prison sentence of former Republican Texas congressman Steve Stockman, who was sentenced to 10 years in 2018 after he was convicted of nearly two-dozen felonies, including fraud.
Prosecutors said the conservative firebrand from Friendswood misused $1.25 million in funds from political donors to pay for expenses like hot air balloon rides, kennel bills and a new dishwasher — rather than for charity like the donors were told. He was also accused of planting an undercover intern in the state House office of a political rival.
Former U.S. Reps. Bob McEwen and Bob Barr, Republicans from Ohio and Georgia respectively, were among the public figures who called for Stockman’s release, according to a statement from the White House Press Secretary, announcing the outgoing president had pardoned 15 people and commuted the sentences of five.
Stockman, 64, has underlying health conditions that place him at heightened risk during the pandemic. He has already been infected with the coronavirus while in prison, the release said.
He has served more than two years of his decade-long sentence, and will “remain subject to a period” of supervised release and a requirement that he pay $1 million in restitution, the release said.
See here for the background. The Chron story mentions a pardon as well as the commutation, but it’s not clear to me that was the case. What is clear is that this latest batch of pardons is another hive of scum and villainy, and we’ve still got four weeks to go.
I suppose I should feel some outrage about this particular order, as one of the nation’s leading Steve Stockman obsessives, but my reaction when I saw the Chron headline was a sigh and a head-shake. It’s not like this was a surprise, after all. Steve Stockman is exactly the type of person Trump is moved to help. I’m a little surprised it hadn’t already happened. At least he still has the restitution to pay. Either Stockman will fade back into obscurity from here, or he’ll find another way to get arrested, because that’s the kind of person he is. I don’t know what else to say.
History repeating itself. I can hear people doing their online research about the past 3 presidents now…….
Doesn’t take a Google search of past presidents to come to the conclusion that someone who was convicted of +/- 24 felonies should have remained in prison. If he’s already got the COVID (and survived), what’s the immediate threat to his health now ?
SMH.
I’ll do you the public service, C.L.
Obama pardons:
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/obama-pardons
Bush pardons:
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/gwbush-pardons
Clinton pardons:
Daddy Bush, which includes the Iran contra felons (what is the Iran contra affair? You must be a millennial)
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clinton-pardons
So. In conclusion, nothing to see here, business as usual, let’s move on.
Whoops, Clinton pardons:
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clinton-pardons
All Mr. Fagan’s whataboutism notwithstanding, among the current pardons the ones that really make my blood run cold are the Blackwater guys who murdered (the court’s word, not mine) 14 civilians while generally shooting up an Iraqi traffic circle. But Their Service To The Country…
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55424397
Mollusk,
Not caring about what aboutisms, more like a what are you going to do about itism? You’re going to vote for Biden? Guess what, he’ll do the same thing, look at Clinton and Obama. Think you can write your congressman? Good luck. Want to be all mad about it? What’s being mad going to do? Going to take the power of the pardon away from the president? Good luck.
Pissed off at the level of powerlessness? Have fun with that, sad to say, but how much time should people invest in something they cannot influence?