Democrat John Fetterman: ‘I’m Actually Very Proud’ to Have Helped Free Convicted Killers from Prison

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D), running against Republican Mehmet Oz for the state’s open United States Senate seat, says he is “actually very proud” of his record of helping free convicted killers from prison.

During a panel discussion in Erie County, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Fetterman touted his record on the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons where he oversaw the release of 13 convicted killers from prison and placed members on the board who sought to end mandatory life sentences for convicted first- and second-degree murderers.

Fetterman downplayed the release of convicted killers by the Board of Pardons, suggesting nearly all inmates released on his watch were “nonviolent” criminals.

“The overwhelming majority, 99 percent, of all that was nonviolent kinds of convictions that somebody made a mistake early in their lives or maybe during it because they were struggling with addictions or poverty or whatever reason,” Fetterman said. “And they ended up to go to live an upstanding life. And 10, 15, 20 years ago, they’re being punished for the rest of their lives.”

“They got a second chance to have their record clean … they were all nonviolent things and it’s thousands of people and I’m actually very proud of because giving somebody a second chance in their lives,” Fetterman said.

In a similar interview this week, Fetterman said he was “proud to run” on his record of springing convicted killers from prison in Pennsylvania.

Those whom Fetterman helped free from prison include a convicted second-degree murderer who was known as “a son of the devil” and who had allegedly threatened witnesses in the case with murder if they testified against him.

Likewise, Fetterman voted to free from prison a convicted murderer who killed a man with garden shears and sought to have a hitman murder his accomplice.

In his position as lieutenant governor, Fetterman repeatedly advocated for freeing a third of Pennsylvania’s prison population, sending them back onto the streets. Such a plan would have set free about 13,000 convicts.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.