President Bill Clinton was widely criticized for some pardons and other acts of executive clemency ^[1]; collectively, this controversy has sometimes been called Pardongate in the press.^[2] Federal prosecutor Mary Jo White was appointed to investigate the pardons. She was later replaced by James Comey. Comey found no grounds to indict Clinton. William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mary Jo White was the first woman to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York serving from 1993 to 2002. ... James Comey James B. Comey was Deputy Attorney General of the United States, serving in President George W. Bushs administration. ...

FALN Pardons of 1999

On August 11, 1999, Clinton commuted the sentences of 16 members of FALN, a violent Puerto Rican nationalist group that set off 120 bombs in the United States mostly in New York City and Chicago, convicted for conspiracies to commit robbery, bomb-making, and sedition, as well as for firearms and explosives violations.^[3] None of the 16 were convicted of bombings or any crime which injured another person, though they were sentenced with terms ranging from 35 to 105 years in prison for the conviction of conspiracy and sedition. Congress, however, recognizes that the FALN is responsible for "6 deaths and the permanent maiming of dozens of others, including law enforcement officials." All of the 16 had served 19 years or longer in prison, which was a longer sentence than such crimes typically received, according to the White House.^{[citation needed]} Clinton offered clemency, on condition that the prisoners renounce violence, at the appeal of 10 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, President Jimmy Carter, the cardinal of New York, and the archbishop of Puerto Rico. The commutation was opposed by U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons and criticized by many including former victims of FALN terrorist activities, the Fraternal Order of Police,^[4] members of Congress, and Hillary Clinton in her campaign for Senator.^[5] Congress condemned the action, with a vote of 95-2 in the Senate and 311-41 in the House.^[6][7] The U.S. House Committee on Government Reform held an investigation on the matter, but the Justice Department prevented FBI officials from testifying.^[8] President Clinton cited executive privilege for his refusal to turn over some documents to Congress related to his decision to offer clemency to members of the FALN terrorist group. is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... The Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (Armed Forces of National Liberation, FALN) was a Puerto Rican clandestine terrorist group that advocated complete independence for Puerto Rico. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country United States State Illinois County Cook & DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Sedition is a term of law to refer to covert conduct such as speech and organization that is deemed by the legal authority as tending toward insurrection against the established order. ... Lester B. Pearson after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is the name of one of five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Roman Catholic Church, a member of the College of Cardinals which as a body elects a new pope. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... United States Attorneys (also known as federal prosecutors) represent the U.S. federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a subdivision of the United States Department of Justice, and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. ... Terrorist redirects here. ... The Fraternal Order of Police is a fraternal organization for sworn police officers. ... The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory pardons

In March 2000, Bill Clinton pardoned Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory, owners of the carnival company United Shows International, for charges of bank fraud from a 1982 conviction (the couple were already out of jail, but the prior conviction prevented them from doing business transactions in certain states). First Lady Hillary Clinton's youngest brother, Tony Rodham, was an acquaintance of the Gregorys, and had lobbied Clinton on their behalf.^[9] In October 2006, the group Judicial Watch filed a request with the U.S. Justice Department for an investigation, alleging that Rodham had received $107,000 from the Gregorys for the pardons, in the form of loans that were never repaid, as part of a quid pro quo scheme.^[10] Carnival or Carnivale is an annual Christian festival season. ... Bank fraud is a federal crime in many countries, defined as planning to obtain property or money from any federally insured financial institution. ... This article is about the use of the term first lady internationally. ... Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947), was First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001, as the wife of President Bill Clinton. ... Tony Rodham is the youngest brother of New York Senator and Former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. ... Judicial Watch is a American government watchdog organization founded in 1994. ... The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. ... Quid pro quo (Latin for something for something [1]) indicates a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services. ...

Pardons and commutations signed on final day in office

Clinton issued 140 pardons as well as several commutations on his last day of office (January 20, 2001).^[11] When a sentence is commuted, the conviction remains intact, but the sentence can be altered in a number of ways. Some controversial actions include the following: The following is a partial list of people pardoned by Bill Clinton. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Carlos A. Vignali had his sentence for cocaine trafficking commuted, after serving 6 of 15 years in federal prison.
• Almon Glenn Braswell was pardoned of his mail fraud and perjury convictions, even while a federal investigation was underway regarding additional money laundering and tax evasion charges.^[12] Braswell and Carlos Vignali each paid approximately $200,000 to Hillary Clinton's brother, Hugh Rodham, to represent their respective cases for clemency. Hugh Rodham returned the payments after they were disclosed to the public.^{[citation needed]} Braswell would later invoke the Fifth Amendment at a Senate Committee hearing in 2001, when questioned about allegations of his having systematically defrauded senior citizens of millions of dollars.^[13]

• Marc Rich, a fugitive, was pardoned of tax evasion, after clemency pleas from Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, among many other international luminaries. He was required to pay a $100 million dollar fine and waive any use of the pardon as a defense against any future civil charges that were filed against him in the same case. Critics complained that Denise Rich, his former wife, had made substantial donations to the Clinton library and to Mrs. Clinton's senate campaign. Emails uncovered during the course of the investigation revealed that her final donation was provided a year before Scooter Libby requested that she approach Clinton for a pardon. According to Paul Volcker's independent investigation of Iraqi Oil-for-Food kickback schemes, Marc Rich was a middleman for several suspect Iraqi oil deals involving over 4 million barrels of oil.^[14]

• Susan McDougal, who had already completed her sentence, was pardoned for her role in the Whitewater scandal; McDougal had served 18 months on contempt charges for refusing to testify about Clinton's role.
• Dan Rostenkowski, a former Democratic Congressman convicted in the Congressional Post Office Scandal. Rostenkowski had served his entire sentence.
• Melvin J. Reynolds, a Democratic Congressman from Illinois, who was convicted of bank fraud, 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice, and solicitation of child pornography had his sentence commuted on the bank fraud charged and was allowed to serve the final months under the auspices of a half way house. He had served his entire sentence on child sex abuse charges before the commutation of the later convictions.
• Roger Clinton, the president's half-brother, on drug charges after having served the entire sentence more than a decade before. Roger Clinton would be charged with drunk driving and disorderly conduct in an unrelated incident within a year of the pardon.^[15] He was also briefly alleged to have been utilized in lobbying for the Braswell pardon, among others. However, no wrongdoing was uncovered.

On Feb. 18, 2001, Clinton wrote a column defending the 140 pardons.[1] When former President of the United States Bill Clinton left office he granted 140 pardons. ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... Almon Glenn Braswell was an American business owner who founded Gero Vita International Inc. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. ... When former President of the United States Bill Clinton left office he granted 140 pardons. ... Hugh Rodham was Hillary Clinton’s father and a lifelong Republican. ... The Bill of Rights in the National Archives. ... Marc Rich (born Marc David Reich on December 18, 1934) is an international commodities trader. ... Look up fugitive in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article contrasts tax evasion, tax avoidance, tax resistance and tax mitigation. ... The Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew: ראש הממשלה, Rosh HaMemshala, lit. ... Ehud Barak (Hebrew: אֵהוּד בָּרָק) (born Ehud Brog on February 12, 1942) is an Israeli politician, former Prime Minster, and current Minister of Defense and leader of Israels Labor Party. ... I. Lewis Libby I. Lewis Scooter Libby Jr. ... Economist Paul Adolph Volcker (September 5, 1927 - ) born in Cape May, New Jersey, is best-known as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve under United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan (from August 1979 to August 1987). ... The Oil-for-Food Programme, established by the United Nations in 1995 (under UN Security Council Resolution 986) and terminated in late 2003, was intended to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens without allowing... Susan McDougal is one of the few people who served prison time as a result of the Whitewater controversy in the United States, though fifteen individuals were convicted of federal charges. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Daniel David Dan Rostenkowski served in the U.S. Congress as a U.S. Representative for Illinois from 1959 to 1995. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... The Congressional Post Office Scandal, or Check Kiting Scandal, is a phrase used to refer to the discovery of corruption among various Congressional Post Office employees and members of the House of Representatives, which was investigated from 1991 to 1995, climaxing in the conviction of House Ways and Means Committee... Mel Reynolds Melvin Jay Mel Reynolds (born January 8, 1952) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Illinois. ... Bank fraud is a federal crime in many countries, defined as planning to obtain property or money from any federally insured financial institution. ... Sexual assault is any physical contact of a sexual nature without voluntary consent. ... Modern Obstruction of Justice, in a common law state, refers to the crime of offering interference of any sort to the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other (usually government) officials. ... Child pornography refers to pornographic material depicting children. ... Roger C. Clinton, Jr. ...

See also

• List of scandals with "-gate" suffix
• List of people pardoned by Bill Clinton
• List of people pardoned by a United States president

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The following is a partial list of people pardoned by Bill Clinton. ... The following is partial list of people pardoned by a United States president. ...

External Links

• Justice Undone: Clemency Decision in the Clinton White House, Report of the House Committee on Government Reform
• My Reasons for the Pardons, William Jefferson Clinton, New York Times, February 18, 2001

References

• See also "Clinton's Clemency Caper in Context."
• See also "Last Minute Pardons: Fact and Fiction"
• See also Clinton Administration Scandals
• See also Clinton Administration Scandal Statistics