Democrats now insist they'll investigate president's pardons

President Donald J. Trump departs the White House and prepares to board Marine One Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, en route to Joint Base Andrews and ultimately heading to Charlotte, N.C. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)

Democrats have investigated their own claims of President Trump's "collusion" with Russia, his "quid pro quo" with Ukraine, his business holdings, his associates, his advisers, his travel, his appointments and his telephone calls.

Now they insist they'll be investigating his pardons.

For the record, the Constitution allows the president "shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States."

But President Trump's confirmation this week of a handful of pardons and commutations has his opposition party in an uproar. Democrats have claimed his actions have "normalized" corruption.

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The Washington Examiner reported on Thursday that Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., and a key player during his party's recent failed attempt to impeach and remove Trump, who was acquitted of all charges in the Senate, complained.

"I mean, we will, of course, I expect, have hearings on this," Cicilline said in an interview with CNN. "There's a process that the president is expected to follow in granting pardons or granting clemency. We'll try to bring attention to this issue on behalf of the American people. We will continue to do oversight."

Among the pardons and commutations from the president this week was one for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He had served eight years of a 14-year sentence for corruption.

Trump also granted a pardon to former NFL owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., former NYPD police commissioner Bernard Kerik, "junk bond king" Michael Milken, and several others.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic presidential nomination hopeful, complained Trump granted clemency to "tax cheats, Wall Street Crooks" and more.

There was, however, little similar comment when Barack Obama granted clemency to Chelsea Manning, who was sentenced to 35 years for giving secret government documents to WikiLeaks.

Obama also ordered the release of Oscar Lopez Rivera, who headed, during the 1970s, a cell of the Armed Forces of National Liberation, based in Chicago.

That group claimed responsibility for more than 120 bombings in the 1970s and 1980s.

Still pending is whether Roger Stone, Trump's onetime associate, will get a pardon.