House Judiciary Committee to Investigate Presidential Clemency Powers
Friday, July 06, 2007 at 8:38 am
- 8 Comments
President Bush’s decision to commute the sentence of a former White House aide, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, prompted the House Judiciary Committee to schedule hearings next week on presidential clemency powers.
Libby, a former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison after he was convicted of lying about his role in the leak of the name of a covert CIA officer.
In a statement, the chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., said: “in light of the President’s announcement that he was commuting the prison sentence for Scooter Libby, it is imperative that Congress look into presidential authority to grant clemency, and how such power may be abused.”
Minnesota’s 5th District congressman, Keith Ellison, a Democrat, serves on that committee.
Titled “the use and misuse of presidential clemency power for executive branch officials,” the hearings are part of a series of inspections by the Judiciary Committee on the powers of the executive branch.
“Taken to its extreme, the use of such authority could completely circumvent the law enforcement process and prevent credible efforts to investigate wrongdoing in the executive branch,” Conyers said.
Though Bush has used the clemency power more sparingly than recent presidents, the White House is in hot water over its authorization of controversial matters, including eavesdropping on Americans.
8 Comments
Comment posted July 6, 2007 @ 7:03 pm
Typical. Gee, they need to “investigate” what authority the President has to grant clemency and pardons? I thought that they swore an oath to uphold the Constitution when they joined Congress. Now, did the swear to uphold something they didn’t read or understand? Or were they merely asleep their entire formative years during all those civics classes and thus massively ignorant?
Look, if you don’t like the idea of clemency and pardons get the Clintons to campaign for a new amendment. After all, if there’s anyone who knows about the abuse of that power it’s Bill. Otherwise, live with it. There are quite a number of generations before who’ve had to.
Oh, and that authorization to “eavesdrop on Americans?” You might want to check out the opinion of the appeals court on that today. Down in flames, baby.
Comment posted July 7, 2007 @ 12:06 pm
Just Reacting? Is there anything that President Bush has done that is not somehow a reaction to the Clinton presidency or 9/11?
What happened to accountability? Why can’t his decisions stand or fall on their own without reference to something the Clintons did or didn’t do?
Comment posted July 8, 2007 @ 1:53 pm
Pardons, etc Since day one, President Bush has seriously abused the powers he’s been given. He has slowly attempted to twist the the system of checks and balances to the point that he has no one to check his powers. This commutation is simply the latest example. Congress owes it to the American people to investigate this administration, and remind them that they (Bush/Cheney) are not above the law. Nor are they above Congress. If necessary, impeachment proceedings need to begin.
Given the fact that the only Republican response is “Clinton did it, too”, proves that they know this is wrong and borderline illegal. The fact that these same people criticized Clinton for his pardons proves the hypocrisy of the right.
It also sickens and disgusts me that an American citizen would cheer the ruling that allows the government to eavesdrop on us without a warrant. Is that was this country has become? We no longer care about individual rights?
Comment posted February 1, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
Presidential Pardons Nerdbert and Randy apparently can’t see or appreciate the hypocrisy of suggesting Bush is abusing his powers when Clinton did not same in spades, indeed, selling his pardons to the highest bidder. Like it or not, the president’s authority to pardon is constitutionally unrestricted. Any so-called investigation is nothing more than the libs opportunity to vent their frustration.
Comment posted July 6, 2007 @ 2:03 pm
Typical. Gee, they need to “investigate” what authority the President has to grant clemency and pardons? I thought that they swore an oath to uphold the Constitution when they joined Congress. Now, did the swear to uphold something they didn't read or understand? Or were they merely asleep their entire formative years during all those civics classes and thus massively ignorant?
Look, if you don't like the idea of clemency and pardons get the Clintons to campaign for a new amendment. After all, if there's anyone who knows about the abuse of that power it's Bill. Otherwise, live with it. There are quite a number of generations before who've had to.
Oh, and that authorization to “eavesdrop on Americans?” You might want to check out the opinion of the appeals court on that today. Down in flames, baby.
Comment posted July 7, 2007 @ 7:06 am
Just Reacting? Is there anything that President Bush has done that is not somehow a reaction to the Clinton presidency or 9/11?
What happened to accountability? Why can't his decisions stand or fall on their own without reference to something the Clintons did or didn't do?
Comment posted July 8, 2007 @ 8:53 am
Pardons, etc Since day one, President Bush has seriously abused the powers he's been given. He has slowly attempted to twist the the system of checks and balances to the point that he has no one to check his powers. This commutation is simply the latest example. Congress owes it to the American people to investigate this administration, and remind them that they (Bush/Cheney) are not above the law. Nor are they above Congress. If necessary, impeachment proceedings need to begin.
Given the fact that the only Republican response is “Clinton did it, too”, proves that they know this is wrong and borderline illegal. The fact that these same people criticized Clinton for his pardons proves the hypocrisy of the right.
It also sickens and disgusts me that an American citizen would cheer the ruling that allows the government to eavesdrop on us without a warrant. Is that was this country has become? We no longer care about individual rights?
Comment posted February 1, 2008 @ 9:22 am
Presidential Pardons Nerdbert and Randy apparently can't see or appreciate the hypocrisy of suggesting Bush is abusing his powers when Clinton did not same in spades, indeed, selling his pardons to the highest bidder. Like it or not, the president's authority to pardon is constitutionally unrestricted. Any so-called investigation is nothing more than the libs opportunity to vent their frustration.
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