Commentary calls for "cleaning house" at DOJ's Office of the Pardon Attorney

Julie Stewart of Families Against Mandatory Minimums and former Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich have this notable commentary on The Hill's Congress blog under the headline "Cleaning house at OPA: A Congressional investigation is needed." Here are excerpts:

On the surface, Presidents Bush and Obama have shown little interest in exercising their extraordinary presidential authority to issue pardons and commute sentences. Many of us who support a robust exercise of executive clemency have been disappointed and disturbed by this inaction.  But thanks to Monday’s Washington Post-ProPublica story, we now know that a significant part of the problem stems from a grossly inept Office of Pardon Attorney (OPA) at the U.S. Justice Department. Congress must investigate this vitally important taxpayer-funded office immediately....

The Post-ProPublica story revealed [various] problems that help to explain why Presidents Bush and Obama have commuted a miserly twelve federal sentences over the past dozen years.  For example, the OPA is not taking seriously its responsibility to fully review and give advice on the thousands of petitions it handles.  A former OPA staffer recalled that most denial recommendations are simply long lists of applicants’ names, sent to the White House with no explanation of the most basic facts, such as the individuals’ crimes, rehabilitation, or special circumstances....

Our Constitution gives the president exclusive power “to grant reprieves and pardons.” This awesome authority is important to our criminal justice system.  Presidents can help to ensure that all individuals receive the justice they deserve and, in some cases, the mercy they have earned.  But it is Congress that created and funds the OPA.  If the OPA is withholding or misrepresenting critical information in a manner that frustrates the president’s constitutional responsibility, Congress must act.  Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize a government office that is abusing its power, nor should applicants for executive clemency face a deck that was stacked in secret.  Congress must investigate.

Related posts concerning federal clemency practices:

• "Presidential Pardons Heavily Favor Whites"
• Investigation reveals (shockingly?!?!) that politicians and politics impact federal pardons
• DOJ audit of federal clemency process with sound and fury signifying nothing
• Updated numbers on President Obama's disgraceful clemency record
• Noting President Obama's (still) stingy clemency record
• ProPublica reveals more ugliness in federal clemency process
• Public policy groups urge Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate US Pardon Attorney Office