Crush Liberalism

Huckabee granted Clemency to Washington cop killer

Huck’s got a track record of granting clemency to hardened criminals and drunk drivers who contribute to his campaigns.  But if you thought his freeing a convicted rapist who predictably raped again was egregious, how about this?

Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing of four Lakewood police officers this morning, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.

Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protestations of prosecutors.

“This is the day I’ve been dreading for a long time,” Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas’ Pulaski County said Sunday night when informed that Clemmons was being sought in connection to the killings.

Clemmons’ criminal history includes at least five felony convictions in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. The record also stands out for the number of times he has been released from custody despite questions about the danger he posed.

Huck shamelessly tries to avert responsibility and instead blames prosecutors.  Notably missing is Huck’s role.

…Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990, making him parole eligible and was paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him. It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior but was not kept incarcerated by either state.

I didn’t realize that the same prosecutors who strenuously objected to Schmuckabee’s clemency of Clemmons had held a gun to Huck’s head to force his signature.  That probably should have been mentioned in the story, no?

I said it before, and I will say it again: Huckabee will never have my vote.  If he wins the GOP nomination for 2012 (and with this revelation, I doubt he will), I will not be voting for president.  I will instead pull an Obama and vote “present” for that office.

November 30, 2009 Posted by crushliberalism | Huckabee | Leave a Comment