President Trump just announced that he also pardoned former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik today:
POTUS says that he pardoned Bernie Kerik. Kerik was former NY City Police Commissioner. He pleaded guilty to two ethics violations and admitted taking a $250,000 interest free loan from an Israeli Billionaire and failed to report it.
— Edward Lawrence (@NewsEdward) February 18, 2020
Trump: "I just pardoned Bernie Kerik."
— Alan Rappeport (@arappeport) February 18, 2020
Background:
POTUS says that he pardoned Bernie Kerik. Kerik was former NY City Police Commissioner. He pleaded guilty to two ethics violations and admitted taking a $250,000 interest free loan from an Israeli Billionaire and failed to report it.
— Edward Lawrence (@EdwardLawrence) February 18, 2020
He also confirmed that he commuted the sentence of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich:
President Trump says he has commuted the sentence of ex-Gov Rod Blagojevich D-IL, pardoned Bernie Kerik, and pardoned Mike Milken
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) February 18, 2020
Update. More on the Kerik pardon here:
Bernie Kerik, who served as Rudy Giuliani’s police commissioner and has (mostly) maintained a close friendship with Rudy over the years, was a vocal supporter of the First Step Act and attended prison reform events at the Trump White House. https://t.co/DPr99hyffe
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) February 18, 2020
Kerik has spent his years after prison advocating for prison reform. Arguably, he helped make prison reform a popular cause among conservatives.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) February 18, 2020
It’s only recently that conservatives went from “tough on crime” to prison reform. People like Newt Gingrich, one of the world’s biggest assholes who spent the 1990s fear-mongering about drug dealers, rebranded himself a prison reform advocate in the last decade.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) February 18, 2020
Editor’s note: This post has been updated.
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Related:
BREAKING: President Trump pardons ex-49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. https://t.co/Qr0BMp40eC
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) February 18, 2020
ABC News reports that Donald Trump is 'expected to commute' Rod Blagojevich's prison sentence https://t.co/Qyj7jQ3Dk9
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) February 18, 2020
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