Martha Stewart is one of just several high-profile people that President Donald Trump is considering pardoning. Here are five reasons why he absolutely should.
5. To scratch a friend’s back
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This might not be the best reason, but it’s a reason nonetheless. Despite arguments to the contrary (see no. 3), Stewart’s case was undoubtedly blown out of proportion due to her celebrity. Likewise, Trump’s celebrity has compounded his criticism from the liberal left. Furthermore, in addition to both being celebrities, Trump and Stewart are also both hard-nosed, savvy business people – and birds of a feather flock together. However, there’s no evidence that Stewart and Trump are friends, as Stewart was once spotted giving a painting of the President the middle finger. (RELATED: Martha Stewart Spotted Giving Painting of President Trump the Middle Finger).
4. Stewart served her time without complaint
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Stewart had every reason in the world to protest her conviction, but she didn’t. In fact, even though her attorneys planned to appeal, she decided to go ahead with her sentence. Furthermore, the justice system was especially cruel to Stewart regarding her incarceration. Stewart had one request: to do her time in either Connecticut or Florida so that her elderly mother could more easily visit her. However, the Department of Justice refused and sent her to a remote prison in West Virginia, seemingly for no reason other than spite. Most people would have objected and fought tooth and nail, but Stewart didn’t – and for that she more than deserves a pardon.
3. To undermine James Comey and the Russia probe
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In 2003, James Comey, then the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, went after Stewart and proclaimed her guilt to the press. “This criminal case is about lying. Lying to the FBI, lying to the SEC and lying to investors,” he said. “That is conduct that will not be tolerated by anyone. Martha Stewart is being prosecuted not because of who she is, but because of what she did.”
Today, Comey is using Twitter as his platform to accuse the Trump administration of the exact same alleged crime. Pardoning Stewart would be a great way for Trump to stick it to Comey and Robert Mueller both.
2. Stewart went to jail for no good reason at all
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Most people believe that Stewart went to jail for insider trading. However, that’s not the case. There wasn’t adequate evidence to convict on the grounds of insider trading, so the government went after her on more unique charges. In fact, one charge was so absurd that the judge threw it out: they attempted to pin Stewart for “securities fraud” by arguing that she increased the value of her own company by publicly professing innocence of insider training.
Eventually, Stewart was charged with conspiring to lie to investigators about insider trading, a charge so weak that some people don’t believe it should even be a crime.
1. Way worse people have been pardoned
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People who are mad at the idea of Trump pardoning Stewart have clearly not done their homework – presidents have pardoned far worse.
In 2001, Bill Clinton pardoned commodities trader and hedge fund manager Marc Rich, who was indicted in 1983 on 65 criminal counts, including tax evasion and making oil deals with Iran during the Iran hostage crisis. In 2017, Barack Obama commuted the 70-year sentence of convicted terrorist Oscar Lopez Rivera. He pardoned Chelsea Manning the same day.
Meanwhile, Martha Stewart went to prison for lying after the federal government failed to build a case on insider trading charges. If there’s anyone deserving of a pardon, it’s her.
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Source: The Federalist
