World Net Daily ... The Department of Justice recently recommended that Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn serve a six-month jail sentence after originally recommending clemency for lying to the FBI during its Trump/Russia collusion investigation. Prior to this, President Donald Trump let it be known he was considering granting pardons to both Flynn and Roger Stone – the latter a political consultant convicted on several counts including lying to investigators and witness tampering.

As Trump contemplates doing so, two points need be kept in mind:

1. Pardoning both men is warranted based on what we now know were rogue FBI agents who either colluded or otherwise assisted in fostering a non-existent allegation of Trump/Russia collusion. It has been determined that the FBI committed at least 17 major omissions or errors to promote the collusion theory.

2. Should Trump issue these pardons, he can expect a barrage of criticism from critics on the left who, by their prior acceptance of a Democratic president's egregious exercise of his pardon authority, lack standing to do so.

 

Thus, we can bank on logic being lost in justifying these pardons despite pro-Hillary Clinton Deep State conspirators' actions both before and after the 2016 presidential election and those of President Bill Clinton just before leaving office in 2001.

As to the first point, both Flynn and Stone were caught up in a "justice system gone wild," denying them the fairness to which they, and all Americans, are entitled. The Horowitz investigation revealed just how far members of the Deep State went in their efforts to deny Trump the presidency, even modifying evidence to do so. Such actions have tainted the agency for years to come.

As to the second, Bill Clinton was involved in one of the most egregious presidential pardon acts in history, opting to do so for pure financial gain, generating a lengthy investigation after departing office. Interestingly, he also waited until the last hours of his presidency to grant it to curtail criticism. Doing so allowed him to sail off into the sunset to receive the money his pardon would bring the Clinton coffers for years to come. 

Accordingly, Democrats who turned a blind eye to Clinton's conduct then have no basis now to criticize Trump should he pardon Flynn and Stone.

The beneficiary of Clinton's pardon largess was a man of enormous wealth who, charged with 51 counts of tax fraud and owing $48 million in taxes, fled to Switzerland to avoid prosecution. His name, appropriately, was Rich – Marc Rich. 

A billionaire, Rich, in January 2001, at 66, was considered one of America's most wanted white-collar criminals, even making the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List." He had rigged an oil-pricing scheme during the 1973 energy crisis, later illegally selling oil to Iran during the hostage crisis. Between 1979-1994, Rich made a fortune of $2 billion by dealing with dictators and other countries, such as Yugoslavia, North Korea, Libya, etc. – all under embargo or other sanctions.

Rather than face a federal prison sentence of up to 300 years, Rich fled to Switzerland in 1983 after his indictment. Lacking any social redeeming value, it was outrageous for Rich to return to the U.S. pursuant to a pardon.

Rich's wife, Denise, a Democratic fundraiser donating more than a million dollars to the party since 1993, appealed to Clinton for the pardon. Assisting was Jack Quinn, a Clinton White House counsel, as well as scores of influential supporters. Denise later made a $450,000 donation to the Clinton Library and $100,000 to Hillary's U.S. Senate campaign.

In the pardon's aftermath, the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted Rich – Rudolph Giuliani – urged it be reviewed noting:

"… I'm shocked that the president of the United States would pardon him. After all, he never paid a price. He got on an airplane, took all his records, and ran off to Zug, Switzerland, where he's remained a fugitive, and has made untold efforts to try to get the charges reduced, including many, many overtures and entreaties based on the use of influence."

Former President Clinton claimed, "I spent a lot of time on that case." Interesting, however, he never took the time to seek an opinion from the Justice Department, as is customary, and expected in this case due to Rich's flight from prosecution.

A four-year investigation was launched, the results of which were not released until 2016. Part way through that investigation, in 2003, it was taken over by future FBI Director James Comey, who, unsurprisingly, closed the case in 2005 without charges. In the years after Clinton granted the pardon, the Clinton Foundation went on to receive donations from other wealthy international donors with accounts at the Swiss bank HSBC where Rich also banked, totaling more than $81 million.

Only one factor drove the Rich pardon: pure financial gain.

While Clinton later acknowledged the pardon represented "terrible politics" (although never offering to return monies received) and despite Rich's 2013 death, Clinton continues benefiting financially. "Rich's business partners, lawyers, advisers and friends have showered millions of dollars on the Clintons in the decade and a half following the scandal."

Meanwhile, we can expect Democrats, who saw nothing wrong with Rich's pardon, being quick to attack Trump for granting a Flynn and/or Stone pardon, despite factors of ideology and responsibility driving them while personal gain drove Clinton's. We have already seen this with Trump's pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in 2017. Yet voiceless critics during Bill Clinton's action will rise from among the dead silent to be heard as Trump exercises his pardon power again.

The FBI committed legal transgressions during Director J. Edgar Hoover's reign (1924-1972), ensnaring good guys as well as bad. The agency spent years rebuilding its reputation. But, sadly, during the 2016 presidential campaign, the FBI resorted back to its old ways, trying to dump Trump. It will take years again for the FBI to regain the trust it has lost.

But Flynn—who confessed to charges against him only after the FBI threatened to go after his son – and Stone should not pay the price for questionable convictions generated by a justice system gone wild.