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Bill Clinton was criticized for some of his presidential pardons and acts of executive clemency.[1] Pardoning or commuting sentences is a power granted by the Constitution to sitting U.S. presidents. Scholars describe two different models of the pardons process. In the 'agency model' of pardons the process is driven by nonpolitical legal experts in the Department of Justice. In contrast, Clinton followed the 'presidential model', viewing the pardon power as a convenient resource that could be used to advance specific policy goals.
While Clinton pardoned a far greater number (450)[2] of people than his immediate one-term predecessor, Republican George H. W. Bush, who pardoned only 75, the number of people pardoned by Clinton was comparable to that pardoned by two-term Republican Ronald Reagan and one-term Democrat Jimmy Carter, who pardoned 393 and 534 respectively.[3] However, Clinton chose to make nearly a third of his pardons on January 20, 2001, his last day in office. This was ridiculed as "Pardongate".[4]
In particular, Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, a fugitive from justice whose ex-wife made substantial donations to the Clinton Presidential Center and Hillary Clinton's campaign for the U.S. Senate, was investigated by federal prosecutor Mary Jo White. She was later replaced by Republican James Comey, who found no illegality on Clinton's part.[5]
- ^ Presidential Pardons Archived 2007-11-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Clinton, William Jefferson (February 18, 2001). "My Reasons for the Pardons". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ "Presidential Clemency Actions by Administration: 1945 to Present". US Department of Justice – Office of the Pardon Attorney. 2011-03-07. Archived from the original on 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
- ^ Reaves, Jessica (February 27, 2001). "Pardongate Play-by-Play". Time. Archived from the original on March 3, 2001. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
- ^ H. Abbie Erler, "Executive Clemency or Bureaucratic Discretion? Two Models of the Pardons Process." Presidential Studies Quarterly 37.3 (2007): 427–448.