President Donald Trump discreetly turned down 180 requests for clemency last week. According to the Office of the Pardon Attorney, from the 180 requests, Trump denied 98 requests for commutations and 82 applications for pardons.
The rejected requests, which were first reported by USA Today, mark the first decisions on such clemency requests since Trump took office.
A White House official told the newspaper that the denials were “routine,” and that no clemency grants were expected in the near future. The denials on clemency requests are a common thing for the administration.
The Justice Department receives special applications which request clemency while stating a reason for the request, then the President typically issues decisions on that caseload in order to clear the slate.
Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush as well as Barack Obama each denied hundreds of clemency requests before issuing their first commutations and pardons, according to USA Today.
Since President Trump has taken office he has so far issued three pardons. Trump pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio in August. Months later he issued a pardon to former Navy sailor Kristian Saucier, who had been convicted of retaining classified information.
And earlier this month, Trump pardoned Lewis “Scooter” Libby, a top aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney. Libby was convicted in 2007 of obstruction of justice and perjury related to the investigation into the leak of a former CIA officer’s identity.
In issuing those pardons, Trump bypassed the formal process, which includes FBI background checks and recommendations from prosecutors that the cases be pardoned. The Constitution gives the President the power to pardon convicts, meaning that the formal process for such acts of clemency is not mandatory.
In recent weeks, fears have been growing that Trump might pardon people indicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s campaign.
Be the first to comment