Lucky 14 Pardoned by Bush, Not Big Donors
I wouldn’t have guessed it, but after looking into the names of 14 people pardoned and another 2 who had their sentences commuted by President George W. Bush
Jul 31, 202030.3K Shares1.3M Views
I wouldn’t have guessed it, but after looking into the namesof 14 people pardoned and another 2 who had their sentences commuted by President George W. Bush yesterday, it appears that none is a major political donor to Bush or the Republican Party.
Running the last names of each of the 16 along with their home state through the Center for Responsive Politics’ donor database at OpenSecrets, yielded no long-time or generous donors.
The New York Times and others reportedtoday that no big names appeared on the list. Convicted celebritieslike Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, of the cash-for-earmarks variety in San Diego, and John Walker Lindh, an American who pleaded guilty to serving with the Taliban have both asked for clemency, but so far, at least, have not received it.
A few people have asked me if I think Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), convicted of seven counts of failing to disclose gifts worth $250,000 on his Senate disclosure forms, will be pardoned. I have no idea. But, Stevens, who still maintains his innocence, has said he doesn’t want one. Even as he wrapped up his final speech on the Senate floor, Stevens said he hoped for vindication.
Hajra Shannon
Reviewer
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