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The Spectacle Blog
The news that somebody Gov. Tim Pawlenty pardoned is now accused of sexual assault is triggering a debate over how it may affect his presidential ambitions, particularly given that Mike Huckabee has come under criticism for controversial pardons. However, the circumstances surrounding Pawlenty's pardon were a lot different.
Pawlenty pardoned a man who served jail time for having sex with his 14-year old girlfriend who he went on to marry. Pawlenty spokesman Bruce Gordon told the Star Tribune:
The pardoned offense "involved sexual conduct between two people who became husband and wife, maintained a long-term marriage, had a family together," Gordon said. "The defendant completed his sentence many years before seeking the pardon, which his wife and others supported."
It now turns out the man, Jeremy Giefer, is accused of assaulting a different girl hundreds of times, both before and after he received the pardon.
Yet in Huckabee's case, it isn't a matter of just one pardon that had wide support at the time. As I documented when he ran for president, Huckabee set loose savage criminals convicted of grisly murders over the passionate objections of prosecutors and victims' families. Over the course of his 10 and a half years as governor, Huckabee granted a staggering 1,033 clemencies, according to the Associated Press. That was more than double the combined 507 that were granted during the 17 and a half years of his three predecessors: Bill Clinton, Frank White, and Jim Guy Tucker.
In one of the more high profile cases, convicted rapist Wayne Dumond went on to murder a woman in Missouri after being let out of prison under Huckabee's watch. Since the last presidential election, another one of the men who was released under Huckabee, Maurice Clemmons, went on to kill four cops in Washington state.
So, clearly, Pawlenty is on much stronger ground defending his decision against Huckabee's record. That said, should Huckabee run, he'd likely exploit Pawlenty's pardon to respond to attacks against his own record. And even if it isn't an apt comparison, it may help Huckabee muddy the waters a bit for voters who don't pay much attention to details.
UPDATE: Pawlenty spokesman Bruce Gordon, quoted above, emails to emphasize that pardon decisions are made by a three-person board, and not by the governor alone. In this case, the decision was unanimous. He also passes on the following statement:
The Governor has consistently opposed pardons for sex offenders and believes sex offenses are heinous. However, the Board made an exception in this case and voted unanimously to pardon this 1994 conviction because it involved sexual conduct between two people who became husband and wife, maintained a long-term marriage, had a family together, and because the defendant completed his sentence many years before seeking the pardon which his wife and others supported. Obviously, had this new information been available to the Board at the time of the pardon request, the pardon should not and would not have been granted.
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PHeraghty| 11.30.10 @ 3:08PM
There is no justification for having sex with a minor. If they 'loved' each other so much they should have waited until the age of consent. There is no excuse for the criminal act or the pardon.
JFTR: I am extremely conservative and like Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
bubba16123| 11.30.10 @ 6:16PM
Please DO NOT call Pawlenty a conservative. As a lifelong Minnesotan he talks a good game then goes out and breaks his no new taxes pledge. You want proof ? Sales tax increase for new Twins stadium & a increase on tabacco plus state spending has gone up 35%
Wayne | 11.30.10 @ 4:16PM
Governors have some kind of compulsion it seems to give pardons. But I think the GOP can do better than either one of these guys. They just don't have any kind of spark.
VFT| 11.30.10 @ 8:41PM
Mr. Klein,
Mike Huckabee did not release Clemmons over the objections of a prosecutor. Like Tim Pawlenty, Gov. Huckabee sent out the information to a board for review with the requests by a judge and parole board for clemency for Clemmons. There were no negative responses, so Huckabee sent it to the parole board who released Clemmons. Clemmons at the age of 17 was given 108 yrs. for 8 felonies that did not include a firearm. That is more by far than killers get for a sentence. After a few weeks, Clemmons broke parole and was put back in prison where he would have stayed except the prosecutor did not make up the paperwork, so Clemmons was released. Mike Huckabee was not responsible for what Clemmons did, if anything it was the prosecutor. This same prosecutor claimed Huckabee was responsible after these murders to drive attention away from the truth that he did not do his job.
Mike Huckabee gave 1,044 clemencies, pardons, etc, but out of this number only 276 were for convicts in jail. The rest of them had already served their sentences and were on welfare because they could not find a job. Gov. Huckabee thought it would be more prudent use of the taxpayer's money to give them clemency so they could get a job and get off of welfare.
Try telling the whole truth, Mr. Klein, and stop slanting the news about Mike Huckabee.
Joe Carter| 11.30.10 @ 11:41PM
VFT is absolutely right. I reviewed all 1,044 of those clemencies and pardons and most were not only completely uncontroversial but needed to restore justice.
The criminal justice system in Arkansas is set up so that the governor must act to restore people's ability to get hired after they've committed minor offenses. The question is not why Huckabee gave so many clemencies but why other governor's (like Clinton) issued so few.
I suppose the lesson, though, is that if you're a governor and have aspirations for a higher office then you either need to be a complete political coward and brag about never issuing a pardon (like Romney) or quit after two years in office so that you don't have an actual record of governance that might come back to haunt you (like Palin).
Earl Grey Decaf| 12.1.10 @ 1:05AM
Thank you, VFT and Joe Carter--all you left for me to say is that Philip Kline needs to get his facts straight before he publishes. I expected better from the American Spectator. Silly me.
Earl Grey Decaf| 12.1.10 @ 12:50PM
..and to make this more fun, today I get an e-mail from you guys asking for money! Sorry, your slanted reporting puts you in the same category as our local newspaper--which I don't buy anymore. Tell the truth, find out the facts before you publish, be real good for 6 months, then ask for my support. 'Kay?
Earl Grey Decaf| 12.1.10 @ 12:52PM
...you can start with a retraction and an apology to Mike Huckabee.
David Schmidt| 12.1.10 @ 3:48AM
Joe Carter you have this one right. I really respect your thoughts. I have done some investigating myself of the facts and have come to similar conclusions.
Bill Beahan| 12.1.10 @ 5:43AM
WOW! I have never seen such a herd of RINOs since I lived in NJ when Christie Toad Witless was governor. And the whole her was defending mega-RINO the Huckster. Now who is going to clean up the RINO s**t they leftall over the comments section?
Julie Hilgers| 12.1.10 @ 2:31PM
WOW! This seems more like a hit piece on Huckabee than about Pawlenty's pardon! I agree with VFT, Joe Carter, and Earl Grey Decaf....get your facts straight! I am through with the American Spectator until they decide to place TRUTH, before AGENDA!!!
Lynn| 12.1.10 @ 10:25PM
Mr. Klein - you seem to be yet another blogger who could care less about the facts and instead seeks to influence the reader with distortions and half-truths. Kinda reminds me of the liberal media. I learned a long time ago to do my own research and I'm glad to see others who are commenting here have done the same. Gov. Huckabee did his job as the chief executive in Arkansas. He is an honorable man and I am really fed up with those who desire to misrepresent his record. I demand you verify what others have said here and issue an adjustment in your article. You also owe Gov. Huckabee a public apology for distorting his record.
a| 12.9.10 @ 9:01PM
Huckabee's pardons were even worse: wayne dumond and maurice clemmons, among others.
I'd rather support Palin or Chris Christie.
Rob| 12.21.10 @ 2:37PM
Good old comparative morality - as long as a more extreme example can be found - no harm no foul....
Maybe Tim can help clarify the times when it is ok for a 19 year old guy (or older) to have sex with 14 year old girls - because that is what Tim granted the pardon for...