Man Pardoned by Bush Says it was Unexpected

[LeighAnn]

CONCORD - A man pardoned this week by President Bush for a 22-year-old mail fraud conviction said it came out of the blue, but was worth the wait.

-snip-

McLaughlin, a lawyer and a partner in the Capitol Insights lobbying group, had filed a pardon petition in 2000. He said he had no idea how it "got to the top of the pile."

He had some help. According to a spokesman for the Justice Department, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, state Sen. Peter Burling, D-Cornish, and the now-retired federal sentencing judge, Martin F. Loughlin, were listed as character witnesses on the pardon petition.

more

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/06112005/news/47102.htm

[Mairead]

1. Mail fraud? Oh cool, sure, someone who does mail fraud should be pardoned

Anyone who bilks the public is ipso facto a friend of BushCo!

[Richard Steele]

Looks abit SHADY lately, also:

*snip*
Earlier this year, the owners of the Lakes Region Greyhound Park, a client of the Capitol Insights lobbying group, gave up their racing license, decided to shut down and sell the track.

Attorney General Kelly Ayotte reported that greyhound track executives and employees operated an illegal gambling operation out of the track through a limited liability corporation called International Players Association.

McLaughlin was listed on state documents as the registered agent for IPA. Ayotte’s report came after two IPA executives who were also Lakes Region Greyhound executives were indicted on illegal gambling conspiracy charges in a web that also allegedly included organized crime figures. But McLaughlin was not accused of any wrongdoing.
*endsnip*

Gee, no matter how hard this guy tries, he always ends up working with criminals....what are the odds?
Poor fella.

[bluestateguy]

2. Presidents have gotten much stingier with pardons over the years

I think after the Marc Rich pardon (which I opposed), you'll see this trend continue.

[ClintonTyree]

4. By the end of bush's term....

that number will skyrocket. He's always surrounded himself with criminals (white collar, of course) and he'll pardon every one of those greedy bastards, wait and see.

[bluestateguy]

5. Probably not

Oh, he may pardon the most loyal supporters of his who have gotten into trouble (Ken Lay, etc), but in the grand scheme of things the number of pardons he issues will likely be small. Don't expect someone who was jailed for 20+ years for having a little bag of cocaine to get a pardon from this president.

[Just Me]

8. Since his best buddies are profiteering scuzzbuckets,...

,...who ALWAYS slither around the law,...there will be few on his pardon list.

He IS part of the new 21st corporate mafia network we MUST MUST MUST break up!!!

[uppityperson]

3. Free Leonard Peltier!

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. as if.
(if Clinton wouldn't, there is no way in hell Mr.bush would)

[Bravo411]

6. He wasn't even in jail at the time.

He had already served the term of his sentance.
Why would Bush pardon a man who wan't even in jail at the time?
This is a strange story indeed.

[trotsky]

10. A pardon wipes your record clean.

Having a felony conviction can keep you from participating in business at various levels, like serving on a board of directors for example.

[Ian David]

7. When you forward this along, replace the word "man" with "lobbyist"

"Lobbyist Pardoned by Bush Says it was Unexpected"

CONCORD - A lobbyist pardoned this week by President Bush for a 22-year-old mail fraud conviction said it came out of the blue, but was worth the wait.

[VegasWolf]

9. The Enron execs should get to the top of the pile rather quickly. nt