Tag: pardon
Trump Reportedly Ready To Pardon Roger Stone

Trump Reportedly Ready To Pardon Roger Stone

A federal judge is currently weighing whether Roger Stone should get prison time for the seven felony counts of witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and lying to Congress he was charged with.

However, even if Stone gets the maximum nine-year sentence prosecutors in the case asked for, he’s unlikely to serve a day in prison. Donald Trump is almost assured to pardon his longtime friend and political ally, Politico reports.

A Stone pardon would be the latest move by Trump to help his friends and allies who have been convicted on corruption charges.

Earlier this week, Trump pardoned or granted clemency to 11 criminals — all of whom either had personal ties to Trump or were pushed by personalities on Fox News, Trump’s favorite television network.

And at the same time Trump is letting convicted crooks like former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich free, he’s purging his administration of people battling corruption.

In one example, Trump forced out Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council after Vindman complied with a congressional subpoena in the impeachment inquiry.

Trump subsequently said he thought forcing Vindman out of his job wasn’t enough and suggested Vindman be punished for telling the truth under oath, as he was legally obligated to do.

Trump also purged a Pentagon official who raised concerns about Trump’s military aid hold to Ukraine.

But it’s not just people who opposed Trump’s Ukraine scheme who should be worried about their jobs — Politico reports that Trump loyalists are urging Trump to purge any Department of Justice officials who were part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.

“This is a straightforward issue,” Tom Fitton, a conspiratorial right-wing figure who runs Judicial Watch, an organization that pushes investigations of Democrats such as Hillary Clinton, told Politico. “The president runs the Justice Department and there are a lot of people who don’t want the Justice Department to investigate Democrats.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.

Pence Lauds Convicted Arpaio As ‘Champion’ Of ‘Rule Of Law’

Pence Lauds Convicted Arpaio As ‘Champion’ Of ‘Rule Of Law’

Reprinted with permission from Shareblue.com.

Criminally racist former Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio already knew he had a friend in Trump. But Mike Pence is apparently a big — albeit confused — fan of his, too.

Speaking at a tax policy event in Tempe, Arizona, Pence was gleeful to have Arpaio in the room with him. And he not only called him a “favorite” — he gave the convicted criminal a specific shout-out for being a “champion” of the “rule of law.”

The cognitive dissonance of such a statement seemed to go unnoticed by Pence and the enthusiastic crowd.

“And I just found out when I was walking through the door that we were also going to be joined today by another favorite,” Pence declared. “A great friend of this president. A tireless champion of strong borders and the rule of law.”

Grinning at the applauding audience, Pence told Arpaio, “I’m honored to have you here.”

Even for this administration, praising an actual criminal for supporting the “rule of law” is baffling.

Arpaio is infamous for his utterly racist behavior and policies as sheriff before he was voted out in 2016. The most notorious examples include his now-shuttered Tent City — an open-air detention center where pre-trial inmates were subjected to horrific human rights abuses — and his abhorrent anti-immigration tactics such as using a volunteer “posse” to round up undocumented people and demand papers from anyone who looked too brown.

Arpaio refused to abide by a judge’s order that he cease such racial profiling, and he was found guilty of criminal contempt.

But perhaps seeing a kindred racist spirit in Arpaio, Trump pardoned him just a month later. And Arpaio himself thinks his repugnant history is a perfect resume for U.S. Senate.

Now, Pence has joined both men in their bizarre version of reality, where an actual convicted criminal is lauded for upholding the law. And where terrorizing innocent people is seen as a badge of patriotic honor.

For most people, Arpaio is Exhibit A in total disregard for proper systems of justice and basic human decency. For Trump and Pence, he’s a “favorite” who “exemplifies selfless public service.

Endorse This: Pardon A Turkey For Iran-Contra?

Endorse This: Pardon A Turkey For Iran-Contra?

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The presidential pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey might just be the strangest ceremony that Americans have. But what was it really basted (er, based) on?

Click above to watch a special TV segment from last year, on the true history —and the dark side — of this silly tradition. Then share this video!

Video via Up w/Steve Kornacki/MSNBC.

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