Opinion

Double standard on pardons

Posted February 29, 2020 12:00 am

Wow, liberals and others are making a mountain out of a molehill with President Donald Trump commuting the sentence of ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who served eight years of a 14-year sentence for nonviolent crimes, aka white collar.

President Donald Trump also commuted the sentences of few other well-known individuals for white-collar crimes.

So why is everyone losing their minds?

Did anyone make a big stink when ex President Obama commuted the sentence of an FALN terrorist on January 17, 2017, as one of the final acts of his presidency. He commuted the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, the Puerto Rican nationalist who was sentenced to prison for the crime of "seditious conspiracy," as well as attempted robbery, explosives and vehicle-theft charges.

Also a street was named in Chicago for Lopez, and Luis Gutiérrez, a Democratic congressman from Illinois praised his release.

Let's not forget that former Vermont senator now presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who lobbied hard for Lopez's commutation, and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio both offered Obama their thanks.

One can commute a sentence of a violent terrorist, but not one sentenced for non violent crimes.

Go figure.

John Moravecek

Naperville

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