Famous Presidential Pardons & Snubs

 

From Hearst to Clinton Who Got a Pardon?

This week was all about the pardon. Florida governor Charlie Crist revealed that he's considering a posthumous pardon for Jim Morrison, lead singer of the Doors, before he vacates office in December. The pardon would wipe away an indecent exposure conviction from a wild 1969 concert in Miami.

Meanwhile, George W. Bush told the TODAY show that former Vice President Dick Cheney was angry with him for failing to pardon I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. We take a look back at some of the most memorable pardons of all time.

Patty Hearst: Heiress-turned-bank robber pardoned

The granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst made headlines in 1974 when an urban guerilla group known as the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) kidnapped her from her Berkeley, Calif., apartment. Two months later the 19-year-old Hearst was

photographed robbing a San Francisco bank while toting an assault rifle. Though Hearst's defense lawyer argued that her involvement was the result of pervasive brainwashing, she was convicted of bank robbery. After two years in jail, President Jimmy Carter commuted Hearst's seven-year sentence, but it wasn't until the last day of President Bill Clinton's presidency in 2001 that

she was granted a full pardon.

No pardon for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby

The former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney was convicted of lying during the investigation of the leaked identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame. George W. Bush chose not to pardon the vice presidential aide due to his involvement in the leak, opting only to

commute his sentence.

Richard Nixon's Watergate pardon

Just a little over a year after he resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon received a highly controversial pardon from then-President Gerald Ford.

George Steinbrenner's illegal campaign donations forgiven

Indicted on 14 criminal counts in 1974, the owner of the New York Yankees pled guilty to obstruction of justice and conspiring to make illegal contributions to President Richard Nixon's reelection campaign. Then-President

Ronald Reagan agreed to pardon Steinbrenner only if he admitted to the crime

Iva Toguri D'Aquino aka "Tokyo Rose" pardoned after serving time

Toguri D'Aquino, known as Tokyo Rose, was one of several women who read Japanese propaganda on Radio Tokyo's "Zero Hour" program during World War II. After World War II she was convicted of treason and served

ten years in prison. Decades later it was exposed that the charges against her were largely false and she was pardoned by President Gerald Ford.

Roger Clinton's big bro excuses his cocaine distribution

On his final day as president, Bill Clinton issued pardons to more than 100 people, including his half brother, Roger. In 1985 Roger pled guilty to distributing cocaine in Arkansas. We guess having a brother who's president

has its perks!

Confederate General Robert E. Lee pardoned 110 years later

After the Civil War ended, any Confederate soldier could apply for a pardon and have his citizenship restored. Famed Confederate General Robert E. Lee applied for the pardon, but his oath of allegiance (the required

document) never made its way to the desk of then-President Andrew Johnson. In 1974, some 110 years after Lee applied for his pardon, a researcher at the National Archives discovered the officer's amnesty oath. In 1975 Lee's full rights of citizenship were posthumously restored when President Gerald Ford signed his official pardon.

Jimmy Hoffa: Head of Teamsters pardoned

Hoffa, the notorious head of the Teamsters, had been serving a 15-year prison sentence for jury tampering and fraud when President Richard Nixon pardoned him in 1971. Nixon's pardon came with one condition, which Hoffa agreed to: "not [to] engage in direct or indirect

management of any labor organization" until at least March 1980. Some believe that Hoffa was attempting to reassert his power over the Teamsters when he mysteriously disappeared in 1975.

Eugene V. Debs: "espionage" excused

Eugene V. Debs, a famed American Socialist who ran for president five times, was convicted of treasonous speech under the Espionage Act for speaking out against the American involvement in World War I. He was sentenced to ten years in prison in 1918 for his crime. Debs was

released after just three years when President Warren Harding issued a blanket pardon to anyone convicted under the Espionage Act. Harding then asked Debs to drop by the White House so the two could meet.

Caspar Weinberger's missile transfer pardoned

Former Defense Secretary Weinberger was involved in the transfer of U.S. anti-tank missiles to Iran in what became known as the Iran-Contra Affair. Following his resignation in 1987, Weinberger was charged with lying to the independent counsel. However, George H.W. Bush

pardoned Weinberger and in the process, halted the legal proceedings against him.

Vietnam Draft Dodgers forgiven

On his first day as president, Jimmy Carter issued a pardon to those who avoided serving in the Vietnam War by fleeing the U.S. or not registering. However, some groups, such as deserters, were not included in the terms of the pardon.