Number Of Felons Seeking Pardon From Bush Nears Record High

Felons are asking President Bush for pardons and commutations at historic levels as he nears his final months in office, a time when many other presidents have granted a flurry of clemency requests.

Among the petitioners is Michael Milken, the billionaire former junk bond king turned philanthropist, who is seeking a pardon for his 1990 conviction for securities fraud, the Justice Department said. Mr. Milken sought a pardon eight years ago from President Bill Clinton, and submitted a new petition in June.

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Comments

[Vyvjala]

Pardon enough to make room for you and your crooked administration..............

[totaldisbelief]

Those felons better have a provable record of donating to the GOP.

[1will]

Clinton pardoned over 400 people during his 8 years in office. Bush has pardoned 46. I really doubt George Bush will be selling pardons on his way out of the White House as Bill Clinton did. It would be funny however if his people took all of the O's off of the keyboards.

[Phil123]

You mean the "M"s.

[fussygorilla]

I did not see the name of the Israeli spy, Jonathan Pollard. Is this a coverup by the media until it is done and over or has the Israeli government not asked for it this time? Does anybody know?

[Manuel]

They could wait, like Mark Rich did, until the very last day, the dark of night when the Administration is truly outgoing.

Manuel

[wndrwrthg]

"Number of felons seeking pardon from bush nears record high", and these are just from his administration.

[DRaymond]

"If we don"t protect these people ..., no one will ever take chances."

So that's what breaking the law is in Dubya Doublespeak? "Taking Chances"? So leaking an undervover operative is "Taking Chances". And violating the FISA law is "Taking Chances". And torturing people is "Taking Chances". And falsifying inteligence reports is "Taking Chances".

It actually shows how shallow their sense of morality is. An adult's sense of morality is based on principles and values. A child's sense of morality is based on 'I might get caught' and thus 'it is OK if I just don't get caught'.

[danoj]

I imagine there will be a raft of pardons on his way out similar to what Clinton did.

[nogimmicks]

It's strange. Michael Milken was out of prison already in 1993. He only spent 4 years or so (89-93) in prison. Anyway, Bush will probably spend his pardons on people much worse than Milken, who just stole a few billion dollars from people.

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Amazing, considering how few from his administration have been convicted!

[111]

The felon pardoning felons .... I suppose if they can pay enough money they will get what they want

[LeonBNJ]

I think it will be difficult for GWB to grant a significant number of pardons or communations of sentences due to a number of factors. The outrage of some that Bill C. did as he left office. Giving them to some of his co-conspiritors as to his abuses of office will be seen as so against the public order and further burn his 'legacy' that it will better not to do so. Some possible canidates like the 2 border agents has considerable international issues that would cause difficulties with future relations with those countries. Pardoning or communitaion of some business criminals would be wrong as they runined companies, destroyed the savings of many people and in some cases caused people to prematurly die.
To me, the President's pardon and communation powers should be more used to those who didn't get justice, didn't have compentant counsel, where is significant evidence that the conviction was improperly given or where given an excessive sentence. It also also only involve crimes that are realtively minor, don't involve violent crime. It never should be given for those convicted for treason, spying for another country, violations of privacy, terror acts and so on.

[Moxo]

The opening scene of The Godfather always reminds me of Presidential Pardons.

Milikiken is interesting - rejected by Slick, accepted by Dubya?

[the964kid]

If there's one thing we've learned in the past 8 years its this: Bush will do anything for money. So you rich felons get your check books ready - you're definitely gonna get pardoned.

[alieninvader]

I'm sure if they bow down and swear allegiance to the neocon god, they will be pardoned.

[aristippe]

I know one felon that will get a pardon. . . Libby