Beg your pardon?
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Editor,
Beg your pardon? No, that won’t do. But you can buy your pardon. What an opportunity. If you have been sentenced in federal court for a crime, this is a unique time in American history to secure a pardon or clemency.
In February, Nelson Petz raised over $10 million for Donald Trump’s re-election fund. Petz advocated that Michael Milken (found guilty of securities and mail fraud) receive a presidential pardon, and boom. Done. The family of Paul Pogue donated $200,000 to the re-election fund, and boom. In February, Paul Pogue received clemency.
Haven’t been convicted of a federal crime but still want to take advantage of your wealth? Consider becoming an ambassador. Gordon Sondland donated a million dollars to Trump’s Inaugural Committee in 2017 and was appointed Ambassador to European Union the following year. (Caveat, if you testify under oath and your information is not favorable to the President you will lose your position as ambassador.) Robert Johnson has donated more than a million dollars to Republican groups and was appointed US Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2017. Doug Manchester and his wife donated over a million dollars to Trump’s inauguration fund and he was nominated in 2017 to become Ambassador to the Bahamas, although the nomination was withdrawn because of suspected pay-for-play. Handbag designer Lana Marks donated $898,000 to Trump Victory and is now the Ambassador to South Africa.
Opportunities to leverage vast wealth have been common in nations run by dictators. Now that we’re moving toward becoming a dictatorship, the opportunities are here in the United States, too. Positions and pardons are for sale; you can buy them.
Stephanie Brancati
Big Arm
