Gary Johnson at The Jack News:
The Constitution vests the president with the power to pardon anyone he or she wishes. It’s one of the clearest authorities the Founders established.
As with any power granted an elected official, the ability to issue a pardon must be used wisely and respectfully. As a governor, I had similar authority. A process was in place to consider requests for clemency and insure that pardons were granted carefully and appropriately.
There is a similar process in place for the occupant of the White House. Many deserving applicants spend years working to have their often compelling cases heard. But ultimately, the president clearly has the power to wake up, get on Twitter, and pardon someone.
Or he has the latitude to announce a pardon on a Friday afternoon as a Hurricane is bearing down on millions of Americans. He can do that just because he feels like it.
And every president probably pardons a convict or two who may not deserve it, or at least don’t appear to be deserving.
Issuing a pardon and calling the criminal a hero
But rarely does a president not only issue a pardon, but extol the virtues of the lucky criminal, even calling him a hero.
That’s exactly what President Trump did last Friday when he announced the pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Department of INjustice: The Untold Story of Schaeffer Cox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Df7eocwQc&t=652s
Liberty Advocate Framed by FBI? – The Schaeffer Cox Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFf4bZfsVOM
You mean Aaron Swartz.
OK, Ulbritch is still alive; but someone else on a similar charge, committed suicide.
Snowden revealed more than necessary to make his point, which had already been made by other whistleblowers (but they didn’t get nearly as much publicity). From The Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3027073/Last-Week-Tonight-host-John-Oliver-grills-Edward-Snowden-leaking-documents-knew-harmful.html
“Edward Snowden has revealed he did not read all the top-secret intelligence documents he leaked –
a move which put lives at risk from terrorists.
In a television interview the fugitive squirmed as he admitted only ‘evaluating’ the files stolen from GCHQ and the US National Security Agency.
The former US spy also acknowledged there had been a ‘f***-up’ when newspapers that were handed the classified material failed to redact sensitive details exposing operations against Al Qaeda.”
Not clear where his files ended up, files he took with him to Hong Kong.
Concerning Scheaffer Cox, he was convicted in federal court of conspiring to murder law enforcement officials. He said at sentencing:
“I put a lot of people in fear by the things that I said.” “Some of the crazy stuff that was coming out of my mouth, I see that, and I sounded horrible.” “I couldn’t have sounded any worse if I tried.” “The more scared I got, the crazier the stuff. I wasn’t thinking, I was panicking.”
(KB) Generally, we should avoid revolutions. Amazing, the self-identified libertarians who claim interventions that overthrow or undermine foreign tyrants are necessarily unjust, might be the same ones applauding revolution against the US government. The end result is the same, a government is overthrown; and the US government still tends to be better than the foreign tyrants it opposes, such as the Taliban, Saddam Hussein, and the N. Korean regime.
Edmund Burke criticized the French Revolution for the excesses into which it quickly descended, with mob rule, arbitrary beheadings, and the dictatorship of Napolean (who fancied himself a liberal liberator). Though he endorsed the American Revolution, which arguably resulted in a worse outcome than if the US had not rebelled.
OK, Andy has reached his bashing Gary Johnson quota for the day . . . .
Ross Ulbricht(aka, Dead Pirate Roberts) is very much alive. And absolutely should be pardoned.
Ross Ulbritch is still alive as far as I know, and I think he should be pardoned and released from prison as soon as possible.
I strongly disagree with you about Edward Snowden and Schaeffer Cox. Both should be pardoned as soon as possible as well.
Concerning Snowden, he revealed more than necessary to make his point. He should be pardoned only if he agrees to work for the federal gov’t on cyber-security, albeit without security clearance.
I believe Ulbritch has committed suicide, so cannot be pardoned. Concerning Cox, he appears unhinged nad possibly dangerous to public safety, I’d have to study his case extensively to see if he might be pardoned.
Kevin, I agree with your points about Arpaio. If Trump is going to grant pardons, he ought to start with Edward Snowden, Ross Ulbritch, and Scheaffer Cox, and then move on to all non-violent drug offenders, all non-violent gun control offenders, and anyone else who is currently locked up, or facing prosecution for any other victimless crimes.
Gary Johnson had the power and right to pardon pot prisoners, but declined to do so, for political reasons. He shouldn’t be lecturing anybody on political aspects of pardoning.
Though I wouldn’t have pardoned Arpaio, he mistreated prisoners, humiliating them with pink underwear and subjecting them to inhumane conditions. Previously he worked for the DEA. He seems to enjoy inflicting pain unnecessarily on people, and should get a taste of jail time. Without the pink underwear or 130*F temperatures in shade.
Keep in mind that during the 8 years that Gary Johnson was Governor of New Mexico, he only pardoned 128 people, and these pardons came after they had already served their sentences behind bars. Johnson even broke a promise he made to pardon two Libertarians who got arrested in New Mexico for standing in line at a polling place while wearing a Libertarian Party t-shirt and button (Johnson made this promise when he was a guest speaker at the 2002 Libertarian Party of Massachusetts State Convention).
So Gary Johnson is one of the last people who should be lecturing Donald Trump or anyone else about granting pardons.