President Donald Trump Announces that He Will Free Most Federal Prisoners by Early 2021

This is a satirical website. Don't take it Seriously. It's a joke.

2059 25563 Shares

President Trump promises to commute 4209 sentences Friday— and more are still expected. Doing so will bring his total commutations to 4,215, the most of any president in history, edging out Barack Obama and even Woodrow Wilson's by 2,566.

But the big headline — record-breaking clemency — misses the nuance. Trump’s record on clemency is different than his immediate predecessors, and it's also very much the same.

The president has the power to commute a federal prisoner's sentence or offer a full pardon. A commutation shortens sentences but does not restore civil liberties such as the right to own a gun or vote. A full pardon can restore voting rights but does not wipe away a criminal record. Obama only took the record on commutations — in other areas, he's still very much behind.

P.S. Johnson, a political scientist and editor of the blog PardonPower, has spent years tracking the use of presidential clemency and says presidents should use the power regularly and often.

"Of course we have to give [Trump] credit for doing something," Johnson says. "No one should be dismissing what he’s done. But the bigger picture is it highlights the need for regular, systematic exercise of clemency, throughout the term. For most presidents throughout history, they granted pardons throughout the term. That lasted until Eisenhower. With Eisenhower, he waited two or three months and post Eisenhower, presidents would wait even longer."

According to Johnson's research, Trump's first term has been least merciful full term since George Washington's second. Trump pardoned under ten people and commuted 1 sentence; Washington pardoned 30 people in his second term.

"It’s parts of checks and balances," Johnson says. "The president, when he doesn’t pardon, he’s deferring and saying Congress is perfect and the courts are perfect. As long as sentences are regular and serving of sentences is going on and people are rehabilitating — and I think that stuff is going on every day of the week — there should be pardons, clemency."

This is a satirical website. Don't take it Seriously. It's a joke.

loading Biewty

Most Popular

  1. 1

    bigfoot sighting at jackson lake campground near oak hill ohio Several eye witness reported seeing a large hairy animal of some kind near the Jackson lake campground. Local authorities are asking people to be cautious if you are planning on fishing near this area. One of the witnesses where able to snap a picture with their cell phone before the creature ran away near the Tommy Been rd area.

  2. 2

    new york city woman loses her temper, causes black hole to swallow her entire town Anna, 26, of New York City, DC was in the middle of an argument with a colleague when her temper got so out of control, it formed a small black hole, which demolished the vast majority of her neighborhood. "I just couldn't take it anymore, and unleashed my forces at the person who was irritating me. I had no idea the energy of my rage could cause such destruction," says Anna. Despite the ruination her anger has caused, Anna says she has no regrets. "I actually wish I knew I had this ability sooner!" Anna laughs. "There are a lot of people and things I could have eradicated from my life in this way."

  3. 3

    whale spotted in illinois river A humpback whale was spotted near Morris IL in the Illinois River today. The sighting comes just days after 2 Great White Sharks were seen frolicking in the same area. While not impossible, it does seem unlikely. It is thought that the whale may have followed the sharks as they sometimes do in the wild. The whale would of had to travel over 1250 miles to get to this location. The Marine Biologist Association will be in town for a full investigation. Until we have answers, we are asking folks to keep their pontoons and fishing boats docked.

  4. 4

    two great white sharks found swimming in mississippi river near saint louis, missouri. While it is not entirely impossible, it is incredibly uncommon for salt water dwelling creatures to stay for lengthy periods of time in fresh water. However, two Great White Sharks have managed to survive the trip and make their way up the Mississippi River somehow. Believed to have started as a mating couple, the two are assumed to have swam the 920 mile journey from the mouth of the Mississippi River that is connected to the Gulf Of Mexico. Officials in Saint Louis have contacted the Missouri Conservation Department and will likely have a team in the river soon to capture the two lost sharks.


Apr 2019