Indiana AG: Keep Ryan in prison
jryan@dailyherald.com
In a letter Friday, Indiana's attorney general urged President George Bush not to set former Illinois Gov. George Ryan free from federal prison.
"Granting relief to former Governor Ryan will prompt the question - of the thousands who would want relief, why does George Ryan receive the gift?" Republican Stephen Carter writes. "Rest assured, the public will answer 'politicians taking care of politicians.'"
Carter, who leaves office Monday, is the latest top-level politician to weigh in on whether Ryan, currently serving a 61/2-year prison term in Terre Haute, should receive a commutation from George Bush.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has sent a letter to Bush asking for Ryan's commutation after serving 16 percent of his sentence on federal corruption charges. Durbin says Ryan's wife is in "frail" health and needs him at home.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan opposes a commutation.
Bush has not said where he stands on the issue, but Ryan's hopes for freedom appear to diminish significantly when Bush leaves office on Jan. 20 and President-elect Barack Obama takes the White House.
Obama has not commented on a potential commutation, but Durbin said he wouldn't ask his former fellow Illinois senator to take such action.