Jeff Toobin just said that the Stone commutation is "the most corrupt and cronyistic act in all of recent history. " He might want to review the rogue's gallery of past presidential pardons... jonathanturley.org/2017/08/31/the…
...I disagree with the President's taking this action given his long-time friendship with Stone (and the direct implications of some of the underlying allegations involving the President). This should have been left to another president or at a minimum to Attorney General Barr...
...however, Toobin stated "This is simply not done by American presidents they don’t pardon or commute sentences of people who are close to them or about to go to prison. It just does not happen until this President." That is unfortunately not true. History is replete . . .
...with such examples for presidential interventions for friends, allies, and some of the most dubious figures in history. The record of this power is hardly pristine. To the contrary, this barely measures up to some of the most infamous cases. This included Clinton pardoning...
...his own brother as well as a longtime friend (who was also investigated in a scandal implicating the President). He also pardoned Marc Rich, a Democratic donor who was a fugitive from justice. Given this record, Toobin's comments seem almost charmingly quaint.
...There is plenty to object to in this commutation without pretending that this is a pristine power besmirched by a rogue president. However, the commutation of Stone in a case is not even a distant contender for “the most corrupt and cronyistic act” of presidential clemency.
