Durbin Defends Ryan Commutation Effort

Senator Dick Durbin on Thursday defended his decision to send a letter to President Bush urging the commutation of jailed former Governor George Ryan:

"I did not quietly send a letter and slink away in the shadows," Durbin said during a news conference in Chicago on the foreclosure crisis. "I had a news conference and I answered all the questions and explained why I did it."

Asked how he would explain his choice to the politicians-- including many of his fellow Democrats-- who have publicly disagreed with the move, the Tribune quoted Durbin as saying:

"I will just say that I made this decision personally, I never asked for any elected officials to join me and support me in this effort, I did not quietly send the letter and schlink away into the shadows. I had a press conference, I answered all the questions and explained why I did it, and I stand by my decision."

The push for Ryan's freedom is a stark contrast to Durbin's strong opposition to President Bush's commutation of former vice presidential aide Scooter Libby. Then, Durbin expressed his outrage at the Bush administration:

"Even Paris Hilton had to go to jail. No one in this administration should be above the law," Durbin was quoted as saying at the time.

On Thursday, Durbin called the Ryan commutation request "a dramatically different matter":

"It's dramatically different, Mr. Libby of course was convicted and didn't spend a day in jail and ended up with a pardon, a full pardon, which is not the circumstance with George Ryan at all," Durbin said.

Comments

[Rog49Thomas]

No one is above the law.

Not a crooked governor (Illinois) nor a crooked senator (Alaska) nor a crooked congressman (Louisiana).

But my heart's not made of stone: Chuck Colson should get visitation rights to console these prisoners.

[VOTER]

Senator Durbin -

Time's Up.

List your reasons for supporting FELON GEORGE RYAN'S COMMUTATION.

[VOTER]

Senator Durbin, you are needed right now.
Get yourself over to the Factory Workers being denied their just
wages and benefits.
WAKE UP!
These are the citizens you have been re-elected TO SERVE.

Had I known you would advocate, support and spend time on a
commutation of FELON GEORGE RYAN, I WOULD NOT HAVE VOTED FOR YOU!

LABEL ME: A DISGUSTED DURBIN VOTER.
Never again.

[Tinsdale]

After reading of the success of Mrs. Ryan’s plea on behalf of her husband, George Ryan, sources close to Senator Durbin have revealed that the senator has received similar heartfelt pleas from members of the Gambino crime family and relatives of Sirhan Sirhan as well as the “Manson Family" on behalf of Mr. Charles Manson.

Those familiar with those requests said the senator was “deeply touched’ by the petitions and may add them to his list requesting presidential clemency. His staff acknowledged that there did seem to be some “bumps in the road.” The senator could not be sure "How many of the Gambino family were incarcerated and he did not want to overlook any prisoners that were truly family related”. They also noted that there were “political considerations in the Sirhan Sirhan case and a few hard-core obstructionists blocking Mr. Manson's early release.” Overall, those same Durbin supporters were confident. “He is a ‘get it done guy’ and he is really rolling up his sleeves to see that the right thing is done in these cases and that Governor Ryan, the Gambinos and the others mentioned, will have the yoke of injustice lifted once and for all.”

[VOTER]

There is no reasonable reason to commute George Ryan's prison sentence.
As a long time supporter of Senator Durbin, I am more than unhappy with his
choice to defend Ryan.

He is sending the WRONG message.
As far as I'm concerned Ryan is worse than all other prisoners because
he chose to use his power for his own gain.

ENOUGH!

AREN'T WE SUPPOSED TO BE BEGINNING A CHANGE?
IT APPEARS DURBIN ISN'T ON BOARD.

[Tinsdale]

Excellent Post.

[poomplet]

I am no Ryan fan...and I'm not clamoring for his release.

But I am SICK TO DEATH about everyone trying to pin the deaths of the Willis kids on him!!! How he acquired his DRIVERS LICENSE has nothing to do with the accident, so Ryan has ZERO culpability.

A piece of steel fell out of the brake of the truck's trailer and punctured the tank of the Willis' van. Some truckers saw it coming loose and tried to warn him...but it's hard to figure out what someone's trying to convey through windows @ 60 mph.

It was a tragic accident, and one would need to know every detail on the ownership of the trailer...where/when it might have been inspected et. al to say if blatant negligence was involved.

But one thing is clear; the skills...or lack thereof...of the driver who got his license through shady dealings that Ryan orchestrated had NOTHING TO DO with the metal falling off the truck and causing the fire.

[Tinsdale]

Without that drivers license he would likely not be on the road driving that truck. Most people are "sick to death "of the Ryan apologists, Top on that list : Mr.Durbin.

[Lerrin]

Six children died in a mini van fire caused by an incompetent driver who bought his license courtesy of the corruption condoned and orchestrated by George Ryan while handsomely, gainfully employed by Illinois taxpayers as the Secretary of State.

Who is commuting THEIR DEATH SENTENCES?

Their death sentences can NEVER be commuted, and neither should any sentence be commuted for whiny little Georgie Boy, who has never shown remorse or apologized.

Even if he does FINALLY 'Man Up', apologize, and serve his sentence without whining or special treatment:
He has not, and will not, pay the price that those INNOCENT CHILDREN paid:
IMMOLATION via FIRE on the altar of corruption that GEORGE RYAN BUILT.

[Barbara2423]

Ryan's sentence should be commuted. This man was innocent.

[BrianShields25]

Innocent my a$$, this man was unanimously convicted on 18 counts by a court of law. Last time I checked that means he's GUILTY. You might want to go back to law school Babs.

He should rot in jail.

[Tinsdale]

Mrs. Ryan,

Sorry. Your husband, George, was given a fair trial and a very expensive and vigrous defense by an elite law firm and was proven guilty as charged. He must serve as sentenced.