“The Merchant of Venice”

The Last Ethics Alarms Word on George Santos, and Let Us Never Speak of Him Again [Clarified]

/ Jack Marshall / 17 Comments

Frequent commenter JutGory suggested the George Santos commutation as an Ethics Quiz. I don’t think that should be necessary. Yes, Trump pardoned—technically commuted the sentence of— Santos, who was slated to serve 7 years in prison, and the Trump Deranged are freaking out. As usual, they are embarrassing themselves. You may have missed it because my Santos comment was appended late to yesterday’s ‘No Kings’ is Desperate and Stupid post: “This morning one of my once astute Facebook friends, a Harvard grad, was moaning about how Trump pardoning George Santos proves he’s a king. George Santos! The pardon power, which includes commutation, is 100% Presidential, legal and traditional: EVERY President who pardons anyone is acting like a king. (Biden, or his autopen, pardoned his criminal son.) Santos is a petty crook, but he’s not a threat to society, like say, the killers, rapists and drug dealers my friend’s party let into the United States over the previous four years.”

Over to you, Portia:

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Ethics Hero: President Barack Obama

/ Jack Marshall / 89 Comments

President Obama granted clemency to 231 deserving individuals, yesterday, the most individual acts of clemency granted in a single day by any President inU.S. history. He also issued 153 commutations, and has now commuted the sentences of 1,176 individuals, including 395 life sentences. The President also granted pardons to 78 individuals, bringing his total number of pardons to 148.

Good.

The pardon and clemency powers of the President are underused, and until the last two years, Obama underused them more than any modern President. Now, presumably in a last minute flurry to enhance his legacy, Obama has embraced these acts of mercy as one thing he can do that Donald Trump will not be able to reverse. Obama’s motives are irrelevant, however. The “quality of mercy is not strain’d…” and it also shouldn’t be criticized. We must assume that the beneficiaries of Obama’s mercy are deserving, and that there aren’t any Marc Rich-types in the group.

There is so much that is right with Obama’s commutations and pardons. They match the spirit and ideals of the season; they provide second chances to Americans who need them; it returns citizens to their families. Let’s hope that he has begun a permanent competition, and that every President will now strive to exceed the number of official acts of mercy of his or her immediate predecessor.

Thank-you, Mister President.

You just made the United States  a little more ethical.

A lot, in fact.