Monday on CNN’s “News Central,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) said President Joe Biden’s pardoning of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row to life without parole sets a concerning precedent.
Host Kate Bolduan said, “I do want to ask you about the other breaking news that we saw happening this morning coming from President Biden commuting the sentences of all but three people on federal death row, a move that was meant to stop the president elect from restarting stalled executions. He suggests that and points to it in his statement, saying, in good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted. Are you okay with that?”
Quigley said, “You know, I have real concerns overall with the death penalty, but I also have concerns with the Executive Branch overturning cases that have been decided by courts across the country. We have to have some autonomy there. So, and I understand the concerns and threats of the Trump administration going forward on these, but I think the baseline is I think you commute sentences or pardon people when you think justice was not done in those cases. It sets a precedent here that goes well beyond his pardoning his own son, which which again, I think was a mistake because no one is above the law because it does.”
Bolduan said, “What I think you’re getting at is an interesting point, which is almost like using commutations as a point of policy in order to stop the administration coming in next, putting in place policy that they believe, which does seem to be different from what you’re looking at with Hunter Biden.”
Quigley said, “You know absolutely.”
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