WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Tuesday shortened the prison sentences of nearly two dozen drug convicts, including some given life in prison for their crimes.
The White House said the action continued Obama’s effort to reduce harsh sentences imposed under outdated guidelines, a step that could lead him to use his powers to grant clemency more often in the final 22 months left in his term.
Neil Eggleston, the White House counsel, said many of the 22 people whose federal sentences will be cut short by Obama’s action would already have served their time and paid their debt to society had they been sentenced under current laws and policies.
“Because many were convicted under an outdated sentencing regime, they served years — in some cases more than a decade — longer than individuals convicted today of the same crime,” Eggleston said in a post on the White House blog.
He said the commutations granted underscore Obama’s “commitment to using all the tools at his disposal to bring greater fairness and equity to our justice system.”
With those granted Tuesday, Obama has now approved a total of 43 commutations. A commutation leaves the conviction in place and ends the punishment.
Eggleston said that Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, had commuted just 11 sentences during his two terms.
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Pardon-gate in 5, 4, 3, 2, …
Seriously. It’s going to take exactly zero seconds for the GOP/Teatrolls and fuckers like Kobach to cite the fact that most of these people are black or minorities (I’m guessing…out on a pretty safe limb, I think) as evidence of Obama’s inequitable and unfair white persecution enforcement regime. Nevermind that the enforcement that led to these convictions was no doubt inequitable and unfair and targeted at black and minority communities in the first place, as with all enforcement, leading to grossly unrepresentative sampling in the prison system…no no no…this is all part fo the persecution of the white man unless half of the commutations were white people.
He just gave Fox News two weeks of programming material.
Obama just got hisself 22 new votes!
Oh wait…
The GOP can pound sand. It is a GOP article of faith that everything President Obama does is wrong, and no explanation why is needed. Soft on crime? Favoring Blacks? Willie Horton? Benghazi? Avalanche of all of the above?
Jealous Envious Bush could use a shiny object to draw attention away from his goof up du jour. Ha.