But apparently many pardons WERE requested, and seemingly appear to be outright bribery:
"The former wife of Marc Rich, the fugitive commodities trader and tax evader pardoned by President Clinton in his final hours in office, donated more than $1 million to Democratic causes since 1992, including Bill Clinton's and Al Gore's presidential campaigns.
Mr. Rich fled to Switzerland in 1983 after the U.S. government indicted him on 65 counts of tax fraud, racketeering and tax evasion charges that carry a maximum 325 years in jail.
The billionaire trader, one of the world's richest men, was accused of evading more than $48 million in taxes and faced prosecution for violating U.S. sanctions by trading oil with Iran during the time Iran held American hostages."
washtimes.com
Obviously, "it's good to be the King"...
Sounds like those donations were a good investment... he paid $1 million over 8 years and avoiding both prison and the accrued interest on $48 million in taxes he allgedly evaded.
Ain't it a great country?
Somehow, I don't believe this is what our founding fathers had in mind when they gave the president the ability to pardon anyone.
Regards,
Ron |
