Bill Clinton's Pardon of Puerto Rican Nationalist Terrorists
* There has always been an independence movement in Puerto Rico, one which seeks to be free of the US just as earlier they sought freedom from Spain. (See Section Seven.) Some independence activists used violence. In the 1970’s and 80’s, there were six deaths from nationalist bombings in Puerto Rico and the US mainland. That these groups were terrorists, willing to kill for a cause, is beyond doubt. Bill Clinton, in the final days of his administration, issued presidential pardons for members of sixteen members of five Puerto Rican nationalist terrorists.
* Some particularly partisan Republicans blamed Hillary Clinton, arguing her husband wanted Puerto Rican votes for her to get elected as Senator of New York. In fact the pardons hurt her campaign and she denounced them publicly. Some blamed current Attorney General Eric Holder for recommending the pardons. At the time he was Assistant Attorney General and pushed for pardons when most of the Attorney General's office opposed the pardons.
* The problem with objections to the pardons is that there was certainly no ignoring of terrorists' actions. The FBI and Justice Department certainly has been diligent and devoted enormous resources to tracking down, arresting, convicting, and imprisoning both groups.
* Collectively, these groups committed terrorism that killed six people and wounded many others. But others committed those crimes, not the pardoned prisoners. None of the sixteen pardoned terrorists were ever convicted of any of these murders, or physically harming anyone. There were five different Puerto Rican nationalist terrorist groups active in the 1970s and 80s, but virtually no criminal activity since then. Of the five, four groups are inactive. Only the Macheteros remain strong, and are largely nonviolent now.
* All sixteen prisoners had already served very long sentences, nineteen years each. That is far longer than is typically served by a murderer who received a life sentence, where they are usually eligible for parole after seven years. (Only about 2% of murderers receive the death penalty. Typically the death sentence is for murder plus another felony.)
* There is no doubt these were violent offenders, guilty of robbery or bomb making as well as possession of illegal weapons. But they had already served lengthier prison sentences than many murderers, and had to renounce violence of any kind in order to receive their pardons. Two had to serve additional time, and the remaining had to agree to traditional parole. None were in fact totally set free, but free with conditions much like most parolees.
* There is no evidence any of the sixteen were a continuing threat to others. That is part of the reason that ten Nobel Laureates lobbied for their early release. The Archbishop of Puerto Rico and the Catholic Cardinal of New York City also argued for clemency. Indeed none of them have committed any violence since their release. You may disagree with the decision, as most of Congress did, and as Hillary Clinton herself publicly did when running for office.
* But there is no credible claim that Bill Clinton or any other US president was lax about going after Puerto Rican nationalist terrorists. There is also is no denying the sixteen were already punished. The question is whether you think sixteen years is enough for robbery or weapons charges. Or whether you think someone should be sentenced to an even longer prison sentence because some of those whose cause they associate with are guilty of murders.