Posted on 05/28/2008 9:44:23 PM PDT by endthematrix
The highest court in the land refused to hear his plea. Now only one person can help George Ryan:
President Bush.
» Click to enlarge image Former Gov. Jim Thompson will ask President Bush to commute former Gov. George Ryan's prison sentence. The Supreme Court rejected Ryan's appeal to overturn his conviction on corruption charges on Tuesday. (Sun-Times)
RELATED STORIESComplete Ryan trial coverage Pardon vs. commutation What's the difference between a pardon and a commutation? Pardon: Erases a conviction, such as a felony. Commutation: Conviction stands, but erases prison term, or trades a longer sentence with a shorter one. (Gov. George Ryan commuted sentences for all Death Row inmates, but most of them still served life sentence.) Presidents receive hundreds of requests for pardons and commutations each year. Most are granted just before the president leaves office. President George H.W. Bush granted 74 pardons out of 731 requests and commuted three sentences out of 735 requests. President Bill Clinton granted 396 pardons out of 2,001 requests and granted 61 commutations out of more than 5,400 requests.
After the U.S. Supreme Court turned down the disgraced former governor's request for an appeal, Ryan's lawyer -- former Gov. Jim Thompson -- said he would ask Bush to commute Ryan's 6½-year prison sentence.
"The man has gone from being the governor of the state of Illinois to being a prisoner in the federal penitentiary," Thompson said. "His career is gone. His reputation is gone. His pension for the moment is gone. . . . I think everybody's interests have been served."
Even with time off for good behavior, Ryan, 74, wouldn't get out of prison until he's nearly 80, Thompson said. "I think it would be appropriate for the president of the United States to commute to time served."
If Ryan's sentence were commuted, his conviction would stand, but he would be freed.
Thompson's comments came after the top court declined without comment to take up Ryan's appeal. Ryan was convicted in 2006 of steering state contracts and leases to friends, and, in return, taking cash, gifts and trips. He was also convicted of lying to FBI agents and filing false tax returns.
"It appears that the long legal saga is finally over," said Patrick Collins, the former prosecutor on Ryan's case. "I've never taken any pleasure that George Ryan has to serve an extended prison sentence." But wiping out Ryan's sentence, he said, "would send a terrible message to the public and to the victims of corruption."
Seeking a commuted sentence, rather than a pardon, could improve Ryan's chances, Thompson said. "Asking for a commutation acknowledges the conviction," he said.
Ryan's racketeering conviction included efforts as secretary of state to quash a probe into a highway tragedy that killed six children of the Willis family in 1994. On Tuesday, Willis family attorney Joe Power had little empathy for Ryan.
"He's had over 70 years of a good life which the Willis children have been deprived of," Power said. Power said Republicans have led the call for tougher sentencing.
"Should we give out exceptions now for Republican governors?" Power said.
Erik Ablin, Justice Department spokesman, said a pardon attorney will review the petition and forward a recommendation to the White House.
"The constitutional power lies with the president," Ablin said. "It isn't unusual for the process to take two years or more."
David Yellen, dean at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, said Ryan might have a shot.
"It's good timing for Gov. Ryan to be asking for something like this now," Yellen said. "Presidents tend to use those powers more when they're on their way out."
No fooling,Mr Yellin?
I was just 15 in 98 and didn’t know what scum Ryan was (except for his anti-gun record) but where it held today Poshard/Ryan would be the time I’d vote for a rat.
Given that, history has proven that he can still get a national holiday named after himself. ;-)
Let him rot in jail.
He ain’t the right color. *cough*
yeah - Hot Rod working out so well
George Ryan's Dem opponent for Governor was Glenn Poshard. Would Poshard have done a better job than Ryan? HELL Yes!
Bear in mind that the filthy corrupt scumbag George Ryan has only 1 year (thus far) of his 6 1/2 sentence. He's in his early 70s but in relatively good health. What people seem to forget is that Ryan remains as DEFIANT and UNREPENTANT at ever, insisting that he had nothing to do with the 9+ deaths (including the six Willis children) that occurred in highway accidents due to him awarding driver's licenses to unqualified illegal aliens, and continues to claim he was railroaded and had no idea that everyone under him was handing out illegal licenses and funneling the bribe money to him.
WORSE, George Ryan is so incredibly ARROGANT that he thinks the justice system should take into account his "record" as Governor and free him based on his years of "public service" to Illinois. What service? Passing the biggest "fee" increase in state history after lying during the campaign and saying "no new taxes"? Passing the biggest pork barrel spending orgy in state history ("Illinois FIRST") after lying during the campaign and saying he would "keep a tight lid on spending"? Appointing Jesse Jackson to run the state's "Kidcare" program? Going on a taxpayer funded trip to Cuba and sucking up to Fidel Castro (in defiance of the U.S. Constitution clearly barring states from engaging in foreign trade agreements without consent of Congress)? Going to the Mexican border with Gray Davis to meet Vicente Fox and support his citizens invading our country? Vetoing the bipartisan bill to end taxpayer funding of abortion on demand? Holding the state legislature hostage in "special session" until they passed "reasonable" gun control measures? Or his pardon of all 156 murderers on Illinois death row?
Even though George Ryan is one the worst RINOs in modern history and a favorite celeb cause of the left, I have little doubt if he were pardoned, the media outside Illinois would report it as Bush "helping out his criminal Republican buddies" and doing it as "payback" for George Ryan's token "endorsement" of Bush for President back in 2000. Plus as soon as George got out, the left would take him under their wing and try to "salvage" poor George who's been left "improvised" and "broken" by "the system" ("they sought to silence him for speaking the truth!"), and make him a highly paid celebrity speaker on some international "America is racist and must abolish the death penalty" tour
George Ryan is a first class, unremorseful arrogant SOB who thinks Illinoisans owe him. This scum needs to stay behind bars and serve out his sentence as an example to the world of what happens to corrupt lying politicians -- advanced age or not.
I'll start a vanity thread in December alerting freepers to the potential Ryan pardon. Bush better keep him behind bars on Jan. 20, 2009.
Typo... meant to say he’s only SERVED one year of his 6 1/2 year sentence. He still has 5 1/2 years to go.
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