Critics pounce on President Trump's clemency spree
Trump commutes Rod Blagojevich's sentence, pardons Bernie Kerik; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'
"The Five" hosts responded Tuesday to President Trump's issuance of pardons to Bernard Kerik and Michael Milken, as well as his commutation of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's prison sentence after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called the decision a result of a "racist and broken criminal justice system."
"I have such an issue with that," co-host Emily Compagno said before noting that Sanders has "been a legislator for a long time and he's had plenty of years to work on and be a leader for legislative reform in the criminal justice system, so the notion that President Trump waving a wand is so abhorrent to the people who've had all the power this entire time, for someone who does spend a lot of times in prisons with inmates and convicted felons, I think that is all wrong."
Blagojevich, a Democrat, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges, including trying to "sell" President Obama's former U.S. Senate seat -- which he was caught on tape calling a "f---ing golden" thing. Trump remarked Tuesday that "many people disagreed with the sentence ... He's a Democrat, he's not a Republican. It was a prosecution by the same people, [James] Comey, [Patrick Fitzgerald], the same group."
Months before Blagojevich stood trial, he appeared on Trump's reality TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice."
TRUMP COMMUTES SENTENCE OF EX GOV BLAGOJEVICH, PARDONS KERIK
"I think he probably got his sentence commuted because he was on "Celebrity Apprentice," Jesse Watters said. "Everyone knows ... probably it’s a personal connection ... but that is neither here nor there. "
Watters added that Kerik, the former NYPD commissioner who was once called "America's Cop" for his leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, was a "patriot" who "made a really bad judgment."
Kerik was sentenced in 2010 to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to eight felonies, including tax fraud and lying to the White House while being vetted for the Homeland Security Secretary post in 2004. He has since completed the sentence, but Trump's symbolic pardon completely clears him.
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"This doesn't fit the mission of draining the swamp," Greg Gutfeld responded, singling out Blagojevich as "one of the worst kind[s] of swamp rat."
"It's not something I agree with," he continued, before adding that "it's not something I care too much about it. I would prefer to see other people more deserving of commutation."
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Gutfeld then joked about Blagojevich's "incredible wavy hair," predicting that "he's going to do the sexy grandpa calendar 2021."
Guest host Donna Brazile said the Blagojevich pardon "sends a bad signal" but then praised Trump by noting that the president "did release two nonviolent individuals today... so that is a good thing."
Fox News' Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
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