By JENNIFER LOVEN AP White House Correspondent
WASHINGTON December 25, 2008 (AP)
The pardons President George W. Bush granted this week couldn't have been better Christmas gifts if Santa himself had delivered them.
But a Brooklyn, N.Y., man, Isaac Robert Toussie, received the legal equivalent of a lump of coal.
Toussie, convicted of making false statements to the Housing and Urban Development Department and of mail fraud, was among 19 people pardoned Tuesday.
But after learning in news reports that Toussie's father had donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Republican Party a few months ago, as well as other information, the White House issued an extraordinary statement Wednesday saying the president was reversing his decision on Toussie's case.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said the decision to revoke the pardon — a step unheard of in recent memory — was "based on information that has subsequently come to light," including the extent and nature of Toussie's prior criminal offenses. She also said neither the White House counsel's office nor the president had been aware of a political contribution by Toussie's father that "might create an appearance of impropriety."
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