Bill clinton's pardon to roger clinton JR.
Bill Clinton was a president that was highly criticized for giving unfair pardons. In his terms as president, he pardoned a total of 450 people. He might even have known that the pardons might be unfair because a quarter of the pardons he gave out were on the final hours of his presidency, many of which were controversial in public opinion. His questionable pardons include the commutation of 16 members of FALN, a Puerto Rican terrorist group that set off 120 bombs in the U.S., as well as Marc Rich, a big Clinton donor who committed tax fraud. Among the 102 people he pardoned on January 20th, 2001 during his final hours as president, was Roger Clinton Jr., his half brother. Although Roger Clinton served his full sentence for possession of drugs, his criminal record was cleared as a result of the pardon. Of note, one month after his pardon, Roger Clinton was charged again with drunk driving and disorderly conduct. This pardon was viewed to be unjustified, because if Roger Clinton were not a relative, President Clinton would not have pardoned him. In this case, President Clinton misused his right to pardon and pardoned someone just because he was a family member. In a later interview with the formal president, Clinton acknowledged giving the pardon to make amends with Roger Clinton. After looking at the facts, President Clinton used nepotism and pardoned his brother therefore using his power to pardon irresponsibly.
"So when you look, for example, at Bill Clinton's pardon of his half brother, or of Marc Rich, it appears to many observers that he did not exercise discretion in an appropriate way. On the other hand, absent such power of discretion, you would not have a means of pardoning those that you both identify as sound." -- Max Stearns, Professor of Law |