Video: Blumenthal Introduces Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Following President Trump's issuance of mass pardons and commutations for participants in the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced legislation to impose additional requirements on the pardon process that would support crime victims and improve the public's understanding of the presidential pardon power. Blumenthal first introduced a version of this legislation last year in response to reporting in the New York Times about a drug smuggler whose sentence was commuted by President Trump during his first term, hindering an ongoing federal investigation into predatory lending.

"I am introducing the Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act. This measure is absolutely an idea whose time has come because the pardon and clemency power has operated in the shadows as a kind of black box, since the founding of our republic," Blumenthal said on Thursday during a press conference on the bill. "The president is given absolute, unchecked power by the United States Constitution. Whatever sense it might have made at the time of our founding, it has given rise to problematic decisions - sometimes allegations of corruption, improper lobbying, and ultimately, injustice."

The Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act would require the President to publish a written explanation of the reasons for granting each executive clemency and require the Pardon Attorney to publish a Justice Impact Statement considering the impact of each clemency on ongoing investigations and prosecutions. The bill would also require that the victims of any criminal acts perpetrated by the person who is being pardoned or receiving clemency be notified and given the opportunity to submit their opinions. Additionally, the bill would require that the Pardon Attorney be informed earlier in the process about potential clemencies and would update lobbying disclosure requirements.

The full video of Blumenthal's remarks during Thursday's press conference is available here. The text of the bill is available here.

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