Hochul Hounded: Another Republican Lawmaker Urges Governor to Pardon Trump

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) has joined the chorus of voices calling for New York Governor Kathy Hochul to pardon former President Trump following his conviction last month.

In a letter to Governor Hochul, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) has urged her to pardon former President Trump following his conviction last month. Tenney argued that the case "undermines the impartiality and credibility of our once venerable justice system and cannot be allowed to stand."

Tenney also suggested that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg might have broken the law in pursuing the case against Trump. She wrote that Bragg "used a warped version of events to push the manufactured charges in The People v. Trump," a decision that, at best, is "legally questionable, at worst it’s criminal."

Tenney pointed out that a Democrat was among the first to urge her to pardon Trump. "Even my Democratic colleague from Minnesota, Congressman Dean Phillips, has called on you to pardon President Trump," she wrote. "Pardoning President Trump is not a partisan issue, it’s an American issue that is necessary to preserve the integrity of our legal system."

In other pardon news, President Biden has reiterated that he would not pardon his son, Hunter, after a Delaware jury found him guilty of federal crimes. Biden also said he would not commute Hunter's sentence, which has not been determined yet.

Hochul has not yet commented on Tenney's request. She has previously said that she would consider a pardon for Trump if he were to apply for one.

Trump has not indicated whether he will apply for a pardon. He has maintained his innocence and has vowed to appeal his conviction.

The calls for a pardon for Trump come as he is considering a run for president in 2024. A recent poll found that nearly half of Republicans believe that Trump should be pardoned.

However, there is no consensus among Republicans on whether Trump should be pardoned. Some Republicans believe that a pardon would be a mistake, arguing that it would set a bad precedent and undermine the rule of law.

Others argue that a pardon is necessary to heal the divisions in the country and to move forward from the Trump era.

It is unclear whether Hochul will grant Trump a pardon. She has not commented on the matter and may choose to wait until after the 2024 election to make a decision.