Posted on 11/25/2008 12:50:24 AM PST by flattorney
- - Tonight an outrageous move from the White House, President Bush pardoning 14 people, including drug dealers. But not former border patrol agents Ramos and Compean.
DOBBS: President Bush today granted 14 pardons and he commuted two prison sentences. Five of those given clemency were convicted of serious drug charges. In what is an outrageous miscarriage of justice, former border patrols Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean serving lengthy prison sentences were not included on the president's list. They are serving those sentences for shooting and wounding an illegal alien drug dealer who they were pursuing and who was given immunity by the prosecutor to testify against those two border patrol agents. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have called for them to be released from prison. So far the White House has ignored those pleas and has done so again today.
(Excerpt) Read more at transcripts.cnn.com ...
11.24.08: Legal Details of President Bush's Latest Pardons & Commutations
11.20.08: Lawmakers want President George W. Bush to commute the sentences of two Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting(only minor injury) a now-convicted(9 years) drug smuggler(career) and covering it up(border agents’ superior did not believe incident required a report). "If you can't do it for Ramos and Compean, how can you do it for anyone on that list?" said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. Other lawmakers who had signed a letter to the Justice Department's pardon attorney by Thursday morning are Ted Poe(R,TX-2)(1) and John Culberson(R, TX-7)(2) of Texas; Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass.; and Republican Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Howard McKeon and Ed Royce of California and Republicans Walter Jones and Sue Myrick of North Carolina - (more Congress members have sent letters since this date). The House members said Thursday that Bush should commute the sentence of the two men before he leaves office to show his concern for law enforcement officers and the danger of their jobs. They asked the Justice Department to recommend the agents' cases to Bush. Rep. John Culberson said lawmakers will pressure President-elect Barack Obama to show leniency to the agents if Bush does not.
(1) District includes Northeast & East of Houston/Harris County. Everyone in the Houston/Harris County legal community knows Ted. He’s a retired Harris County criminal prosecutor and noted Judge. Unlike "W" and Texas Governor Rick Perry et. al., Ted is big on increasing our Mexican-U.S. border security and the number, along with legal power, of our border patrol agents.
(2) District includes Southwest Houston and areas west of Houston/Harris County. A large number of major Republican doctors and lawyers live in John’s district. Even world renowned Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top lives in TX-7. - FlA
MAR
When isn’t Lou Dobbs angry!?
yeah, but I guess I understand him in this case.
If Bush pardons drug dealers and refuses to pardon Ramos and Compean, I will join in the chorus of those who claim that Bush was the “Worst President Ever.”
Uh, no. He can pardon anyone he wants, regardless of what the DOJ does or doesn't do.
I think he wanted to send a strong message to "activist" Border Patrol agents who were too zealous about catching people.
I think he wanted to chill the BP, and that is what the whole case has been all about from the start.
Last time I looked GW is in office until January 20 ...I think the time to get mad about this is January 21
Apples and oranges comparison of drug dealers vs. the border agents. Bush bases his pardons on reasons and apparently only after time is served. He has only commuted 8 sentences so far. The pardons are merely to reinstate rights lost, not a way to get out of time served.
The border agents were stupid and put all other agents in a bad light by not filing a full and truthful report and for asking other agents to help them cover up the shooting.
It’s even more outrageous that Bush hasn’t pardoned the Haditha Marines and other servicemen who have been victimized by the America-hating JAG lawyers he placed in charge of the war effort.
He should pardon Obama for doing cocaine.
Well, the full assertion in the article reads:
Bush cannot do anything until the DOJ makes a decision in this matter, although he can ask for a review and recommendation expedite. As POTUS, Bush can then make any decision he desires in this matter, with or without regard to the DOJ-OOP’s recommendations.
...Which, as you stated, is incorrect. Bush can issue pardons anytime he wants. He does NOT have to wait ("Bush cannot do anything until...") for DOJ recommendations.
Beat me to it by 6 minutes....it’s just incomprehensible that a Republican President would pardon foreign criminals bringing poison into our country and piss on Marines, soldiers, and other federal law enforcement for doing their jobs.
He shouldn’t pardon Ramohs and Cumbean. They perpetrated saveral serious crimes and tried to cover them up. They made the decision to be POS criminals and now they have to live with it. They should have their citizenship stripped and be sent to live in mexico.
What happened with GWBUSH at the end of his 2d term?
Looks like there is no more pilot in the plane! The guy is praising OSAMABAMA’s fake election with that “historic” mantra for black americans....dadadadablablabla
He has no clue,no explanations,and he doesn’t name names about the financial crisis.
He has nothing to say on the electoral process,about the MSM game and so on....
I am wondering,did he want McCAIN’s defeat?
Maybe but it would not explain that last decision of Presidential pardon
These men should be pardoned. I hope no one is disappointed if Bush does not pardon them though. He only ever paid lip service to securing the borders and never pursued our interests on this issue.
Also be sure to write Kay Bailey a letter of thanks for, underhandedly (in the Omnibus Bill), giving the authority for building the fence to Janet Napolitano. All the good work and effort expended by Hunter and others to get it and she undid all that by sneaking it into the Omnibus Bill.
several
Of those “several” serious crimes can you name three? If you can name, three crimes, can you also point to the evidence in the court transcripts that proves they were guilty of those crimes beyond reasonable doubt?
did he want mccain’s defeat? you don’t destroy your own approval rating just to get someone else. You destroy your approval because you are just plain stupid.
RebelViking—proud Freeper since Oct.29, 2008.
Yeah, but I am a real rightwinger that believes in law and order. Did your mom ever tell you that two wrongs don’t make a right?
Bullcrap. The president can pardon people for crimes that they have not even been indicted for. There are no rules for pardons.
Once they were recently re-sentenced, by the lower court, - pursuant to the directives of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals - then a formal application with the DOJ Office of Pardon could be filed, which this was done in behalf of both men.
There are no rules for pardons. These procedures are not necessary or mandated. President Bush can pardon anyone he wants for whatever reason he wants. Carter pardoned every draft dodger in one stroke of the pen.
As POTUS, Bush can then make any decision he desires in this matter, with or without regard to the DOJ-OOP’s recommendations.
Correction:
As POTUS, Bush can then make any decision he desires in this matter, with or without regard to the DOJ-OOP’s recommendations.
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