United Liberty
Tax Hike Mike Huckabee’s Willie Horton Moment
Mon, 11/30/2009 - 11:38am | posted by Doug Mataconis
The man wanted in connection with the murder yesterday in Washington State of four police officers was previously paroled from a 95 year sentence thanks to then Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee:
Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.
Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.
“This is the day I’ve been dreading for a long time,” Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas’ Pulaski County said tonight when informed that Clemmons was being sought for questioning in connection with the killings.
Clemmons’ criminal history includes at least five felony convictions in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. The record also stands out for the number of times he has been released from custody despite questions about the danger he posed.
Huckabee, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination last year, issued a statement tonight calling the slaying of the police officers “a horrible and tragic event.”
If Clemmons is found responsible, “it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State,” Huckabee said.
He added that Clemmons’ release from prison had been reviewed and approved by the Arkansas parole board
Yes, but that would not have happened if Huckabee had not granted clemency to begin with.
To be fair to Huckabee, there are other failures of the criminal justice system at work here, such as this:
Clemmons had been in jail in Pierce County for the past several months on a pending charge of second-degree rape of a child. He was released from custody just six days ago, even though was staring at seven additional felony charges in Washington state.
Clemmons posted $15,000 with a Chehalis company called Jail Sucks Bail Bonds. The bondsman, in turn, put up $150,000, securing Clemmons’ release on the pending child-rape charge.
But, it’s pretty easy to point fingers back at Huckabee here, and the attack commercial pretty much writes itself.
As much as I dislike Tax Hike Mike, I have to stand up for the guy here. It is unfair to place the entire blame on his shoulders.
Looking back at the commutation in 2000, it merely made him parole eligible. The parole board was able to keep him in prison, if they felt he was a danger to society. No one is blaming them for being “soft on crime.” They freed him.
He was thought to have violated his parole, an act that would have sent him to prison for the rest of his life, unless he lived to be 113. The inept prosecution was unable to prove their case, and they chose to drop the charges against him in 2004. No one is blaming them for their ineptitude.
Earlier this year, he was able to post bond, AS A CONVICTED FELON, on 8 felony charges, including assaulting a police officer and child rape, in Washington state. No one is blaming the judge at his arraignment, the prosecutors in the case, or the bail bondsman for taking his $15K and posting the remaining $135K.
Ultimately, the person responsible for Clemmons’ actions, criminal or otherwise, is Clemmons himself, since he is a person who did not commit any of his criminal acts under duress. Placing the blame almost solely at the feet of Mike Huckabee is similar to blaming Ann Dunham for the election results of 2008.