President doles out 20 pardons and commutations

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The Trump era has served a meaningful purpose in revealing the many areas of executive governance that rely almost solely on norms, not codified law, to be carried out honorably. Last night, another one became apparent again when the president pardoned or commuted the sentences of several allies and associates who've been convicted of offenses ranging from lying to federal authorities to graft to committing war crimes. The president's pardon power is intended to be a check on the judicial branch—an opportunity to correct unfair convictions or excessively harsh punishments. Trump isn't the first president to abuse this power, but in typical fashion, he has taken it to a new level. This is corruption, pure and simple. Reforms are necessary to ensure that this presidential power is used as intended—to advance the rule of law, not to place one's cronies above it. —Evan McMullin

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** You get a pardon...and you get a pardon...
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With his days in the White House waning, President Trump granted clemency yesterday to 20 people, including three former Republican members of Congress and two people who were convicted of crimes as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He also pardoned four military contractors convicted of killing 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007. And there may be more pardons to come. ([link removed])
* — Among the notable pardons were George Papadopoulos—a foreign policy adviser to Trump's 2016 campaign who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its Russia investigation—and former congressman Duncan Hunter, who pleaded guilty to using hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to pay for family vacations and facilitate extramarital affairs. ([link removed])
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* — Also receiving a pardon was Trump's first congressional supporter, Chris Collins, who had been serving a prison sentence for an insider-trading scheme and lying to the FBI. Former GOP Rep. Steve Stockman, who was convicted in 2018 of conspiring to take hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations that were meant for charity and voter education, was granted a commutation. ([link removed])
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* — Democrats accused Trump of abusing his pardon power to reward allies and undermine the rule of law. "If you lie to cover up for the president, you get a pardon," House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff said in a statement. "If you are a corrupt politician who endorsed Trump, you get a pardon. If you murder civilians while at war, you get a pardon." —The Washington Post ([link removed])

MORE: The shockingly long list of corrupt officials and political allies pardoned by Trump —Mother Jones ([link removed])


** Trump rejects Covid relief package
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President Trump torched Congress via video last night over the COVID-19 relief package that passed both chambers on Monday. He called on lawmakers to send him a new bill increasing stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000. The president also criticized the $2.3 trillion package, which includes $900 billion in coronavirus relief and $1.4 trillion to fund the government until October, conflating the two bills and denouncing their spending priorities. ([link removed])
* — The clock is ticking. Trump did not explicitly threaten to veto the package, which passed with veto-proof majorities, but if he vetoes or opts not to sign the bill by Monday at midnight, the government will shut down and several key unemployment benefits will expire. The federal government is currently funded through Dec. 28 as part of a stopgap bill. ([link removed])
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* — A little late. Trump's request comes after Congress has already left town for the Christmas holiday. The Senate isn't due to return until Dec. 29, in order to override a possible veto on another bill with strong bipartisan backing, the National Defense Authorization Act. ([link removed])
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* — Democrats are on board. "Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the president wanted for direct checks. At last, the president has agreed to $2,000—Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let's do it!" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the House would offer a bill increasing stimulus checks to $2,000, daring Republicans to bring down the bill by objecting. —The Hill ([link removed])

MORE: House panel subpoenas HHS Sec. Azar and CDC's Redfield: 'Extensive' political meddling in COVID-19 policies alleged —USA Today ([link removed])


** Boot: The pandemic of irrationality
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"It is tempting to herald a new age of scientific progress in which pioneering technology opens up limitless possibilities—including the eradication of many diseases. But before we get too giddy, don't forget that alongside near-miraculous advances in science come near-unbelievable examples of human irrationality. The America that helped develop coronavirus vaccines in record time is the same country where, in one recent poll, 36% of all voters (and 77% of Trump voters) say that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, even though there is zero evidence that any ballot fraud occurred." —Max Boot in The Washington Post ([link removed])

Max Boot is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

MORE: Former election security official says it will take 'years' to undo disinformation —WAMC Northeast Public Radio ([link removed])


** 'Nothing suggests it's under control'
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President-elect Joe Biden blasted the Trump Administration yesterday for its lack of a decisive response to a massive, months-long cyberattack, believed to be led by Russia, that hit several government agencies and private companies this year. Biden stopped short of calling the attack an act of war, but said the risks remain grave. ([link removed])
* — "The Defense Department won't even brief us on many things," Biden said in response to questions regarding ongoing cybersecurity threats that have resulted from the hack. "The question of the damage done remains to be determined. We have to look very closely at the nature of the breaches, how extensive they are." ([link removed])
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* — Biden's comments about the lack of Pentagon briefings reignited concerns about the Defense Department's cooperation in the presidential transition. Last week, Acting Defense Sec. Christopher Miller suddenly halted meetings with the Biden team, "shocking officials across the Defense Department." ([link removed])
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* — As for the cyberattack, Biden vowed retaliation, but declined to specify what the response might entail. "I promise you, there will be a response," he said, adding that he'll work with allies to establish "rules of the road" that will apply to cyber activity so wrongdoers can be held accountable when those norms are breached. —Military.com ([link removed])

MORE: Trump's acting Pentagon chief unlikely to advance plan for splitting NSA, Cyber Command leadership —The Washington Post ([link removed])
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** Foley: For Pence, a time for choosing
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"[Vice President Mike] Pence could help liberate the GOP and the nation from this escalating electoral hysteria. By urging Congress to accept Biden's victory, and to reject rival submissions aimed at derailing this valid result, Pence can align himself with [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell in endeavoring to restore rationality within Republican ranks. Trump or truth? Pence must choose. History will judge." —Edward Foley in ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed])

Edward Foley is a
Washington Post contributing columnist on matters relating to election law and administration. Foley holds the Ebersold Chair in Constitutional Law at Ohio State University, where he heads the university's election law program.

MORE: Republicans plunge into open battle over attempts to overturn Trump's loss to Biden —The Washington Post ([link removed])


** Israel's roundabout outreach
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Israel used the recent visit by Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to pass on several messages to the incoming Biden Administration regarding Iran and other regional developments. Israeli officials are concerned about President-elect Joe Biden's plans on Iran and the 2015 nuclear deal, but have yet to open direct contacts with the incoming administration. ([link removed])
* — Milley, who arrived in Israel last Thursday after visiting several Arab capitals, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defense Benny Gantz, and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Aviv Kochavi. He is a potential bridge to Biden's White House because he is expected to stay on beyond the transition. ([link removed])
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* — Israel wants the U.S. to take advantage of Iran's current weak position to renegotiate terms rather than rush back into the 2015 deal. Officials also advised Milley that the Biden Administration should be more flexible when it comes to relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, despite concerns over their human rights records. ([link removed])
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* — Milley made clear that he hasn't had a chance to speak with members of the incoming administration yet, but said Biden's national security team has a pro-engagement approach to Iran. He referenced John Kerry and Susan Rice among those who could influence the administration's thinking on Iran. —Axios ([link removed])

MORE: Israel's government collapses, triggering yet another election —The Economist ([link removed])


** Gavin & Wrage: Combatting corruption is essential to global leadership
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“In his victory speech on Nov. 7, Biden swore to marshal the forces of decency and fairness to guide the country out of an era of toxic politics, cynicism, and mistrust. Over the past couple years, he has written and spoken widely about the need to resist the creeping authoritarianism that's taking root in so much of the world. Biden should know that the menace of corruption is one of the most daunting obstacles to realizing this vision—and if he acts soon, the world will see that trust and fairness have a fighting chance." —Michelle Gavin and Alexandra Wrage in Foreign Policy ([link removed])

Michelle Gavin, a senior fellow for Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, was the senior director for Africa at the National Security Council from 2009 to 2011 and the U.S. ambassador to Botswana from 2011 to 2014. Alexandra Wrage is president of TRACE, founded to advance commercial transparency worldwide.


** 'Every girl should have a doll'
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Eight-year-old London Jones is bursting with joy. She's about to make Christmas extra special for lots of little girls. Carrying on a longtime family tradition to give back during the holidays, London, of Dover, Del., started the Dolls for Daughters Toy Drive to collect dolls for children whose families are struggling financially during the pandemic. ([link removed])
* — London's inspiration came from her mother, Tiffany Jones, who is active with the nonprofit What About Our Daughters. The organization helps mothers in need and has been raising awareness for London's Christmas giveback effort. ([link removed])

* — "Right now through this pandemic, you have one in eight families struggling to put food on the table, let alone put gifts under a Christmas tree," said Tiffany. "As a mother myself, it hurts my heart to know that some girls might not receive a doll." ([link removed])
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* — The dolls were distributed yesterday to various women's support centers and shelters to distribute to young ladies in need. "On Christmas, when I get a doll, it makes me smile, and we can put smiles on many other girls' faces," said London. —ABC News ([link removed])

On Monday, Dec. 21, a loosely organized group of paramilitaries and independent insurgents armed with long guns and handguns, some wearing armor and other military equipment, forced their way into Oregon's Capitol building. Capitol police officers held them off with non-lethal weapons until reinforcements could be brought in to help physically push the insurgents out of the building. One insurgent attacked police with "bear spray" and was arrested. All others were allowed to disperse on their own recognizance.

Less than 24 hours later, police officers in Columbus, Ohio, fatally shot a 49-year-old Black man who walked towards them with a cell phone in his hand while they were investigating a report about a car running in the driveway of a home.

How can police in Oregon feel so little threat from an armed mob that they would use only non-lethal force to repel their invasion of a government building, while police in Ohio feel so great a threat from a lone man with no visible weapon that they gun him down? Was it because of race? Daylight? Or were the police in Oregon reluctant to engage the mob because they were outnumbered and outgunned? Have we really reached the point where the only way to be given the "benefit of the doubt" by police is to walk around armed and armored? —Michael A., Maryland
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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