Washington – US President Barack Obama granted clemency to 21 criminals over the weekend, as part of the pardons and commutations traditionally approved ahead of the Christmas holiday. Obama pardoned 13 criminals and commuted the sentences of eight.
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Most of the convicts on the list were drug dealers and thieves, some of whom would have received lesser sentences if convicted of the same crimes today.
Despite a recent request from his close ally and former cabinet member Bill Richardson, Obama did not include Israel agent Jonathan Pollard on his holiday clemency list. Pollard is in his 29th year of a life sentence.
Richardson called on the president to commute the convicted spy’s life sentence in a letter on Tuesday.
The president tried unsuccessfully to appoint Richardson as his commerce secretary after he dropped out of the 2008 presidential race and endorsed Obama rather than his rival candidate, Hillary Clinton. Richardson was energy secretary in Bill Clinton’s cabinet, so his endorsement of Obama gave him a big boost that helped him get elected.
Richardson also served as ambassador to the United Nations and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times. He maintains a close relationship with Obama.
“I am aware commutations are being considered at this time,” Richardson wrote, referring to presidential clemency directives traditionally issued before Christmas. “Please add Jonathan Pollard to the list of those to be released.”
In the letter, Richardson noted that nearly all those with first-hand knowledge of Pollard’s case now support allowing him to leave prison.
He recalled discussions on Pollard in Bill Clinton’s cabinet 15 years ago.
“In my view, there is no longer a need for a discussion today,” Richardson wrote.
“Virtually everyone who was in a high position of government – and dealt with the ramifications of what Pollard did at the time – now support his release.”
Richardson pointed out that many of these major decision makers have issued public calls for Pollard’s release, including former secretary of state George Shultz, former national security adviser Robert McFarlane, and William Webster, the head of the FBI at the time of Pollard’s arrest and the only man in history to head both the FBI and the CIA.
In his letter, Richardson blamed then-secretary of defense Caspar Weinberger for Pollard receiving a life sentence despite a plea bargain in which the government committed to not seek a life sentence.
Pollard has already spent 28 years of the life sentence in a federal prison for passing classified information to an ally.
No one else in the history of the United States has ever received a life sentence for this offense, whose median time served is two to four years.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
This poor guy has all the help in the world he can use and still can’t get out. He must have done some nasty things 30 years ago. We won’t know till after he finishes his sentence.
and you wanna tell me there’s no antisemitism in this country, in the higher echelons of government, AZOI !
Shame on Obama
Sorry Yonathan.
He must of done something that the public doesn’t know.
It’s both tragic and baffling. What could he have done that deserves this? It jut seems a HUGE injustice.
guess your as ignorant as the rest of the american jewish establishment if your following the case from the get go youd realize its all polotics and theirs no reason at all for johnathon to be incarcerated for as long as hes in even reading the letter from richardson should clue u in your comment is lacking considering the letter
Lets get the Bolivian kidnappers involve over here.
Guaranteed. The day the President leaves office, he will recommend that he be freed. Everyone of those in office who had the power to recommend clemency, never did while in office. However, a day after were explaining why he should be let go. Why???
WHAT IS HOLDING IT UP ?? bederech hateva? obama pardoned/ commuted 21 people this week – including 13 with drug charges
Has Pollard ever filed the paperwork for a pardon? Why not?
That is the real mystery to me.
And yanky
Not that you wont be pardoned
But sadly and you will be rerouted to bolivia
Within 6 to 8 months max
Run run run and run
This is an individual pardoning all criminals , incriminated by a jury , yet in cuba a all is cumbaya all the while ellen gross is rotting ,all the while iran talks is without that american being even discussed!
Do the Israelis really wnt him out? I wonder.
“W” who was a true friend of EY did not issue the pardon, either.
Don’t give up the fight to free Pollard. Send O letters and call the white house. Don’t give up. If K in Siberia can be freed by the jackal Putin, then Pollard can be freed…
Sad reality that Poor Mr. Pollard is not a really important expression of American Discussion Today. But if the Israelis want him back, it is going to take more than a few measures. I would imagine it could have been an opportunity for Mr. Obama to speak his turn at the realization that he does not support our communities which continue to expand in the -non-Jewish- territories of the Jewish Homeland. We have every right to be Jewish in Israel.
A search on the Bureau of Prisons website (bop.gov) lists a release date in 2015.
JONATHAN JAY POLLARD
Register Number: 09185-016
space
Age: 59
Race: White
Sex: M
space
Located at: Butner Medium I FCI
Release Date: 11/21/2015
If the Israeli government really wants Pollard released (instead of going through the motions), then it is going to have to publicly express contrition for its role in that spying operation, instead of referring to it as “a rogue operation”. Secondly, it is going to have to return the thousands of documents which were stolen. To this date, only a small portion were ever returned. Third, it is going to have to return Col Aviem Sella to the USA for trial, for his role in the spying operation. Last, the Israeli government should admit, that it erred by refusing to grant Pollard sanctuary in its Embassy. Instead, it forced him out, into the hands of the FBI. I know that the Israeli government never likes to admit that it made an error. However, after twenty eight years, it is about time, that it confessed, and made amends. If it would have done the latter in the past, Pollard might have been released a long time ago!
Colonel Aviem Sella did nothing wrong. It was his job to convince Americans to betray their country, and to take the rap if they were caught. You see Sella is an intelligence professional. Protecting him is important. Pollard is a patsy. Israel has no real interest in protecting him.
The US, the Russians and all the rest. Professional spymasters are to be protected. The nationals they sign up are perfectly expendable.