Statement from Huckabee on Maurice Clemmons (UPDATE III)
The above audio clip is from Mike Huckabee’s radio program “The Huckabee Report” on Monday, November 30, 2009.
According to reports breaking late Sunday, Maurice Clemmons is being sought by police in the killing of four Washington state police officers. Clemmons had been sentenced to prison in Arkansas for armed robbery but had his sentence commuted in 2000 by then Gov. Mike Huckabee. The story is developing fast but has the potential to be damaging for Huckabee after the criticism he received for the parole of convicted rapist Wayne DuMond by the Arkansas parole board during the time Huckabee was governor. DuMond was accused of rape and murder after being released but died in prison before standing trial.
….
“The senseless and savage execution of police officers in Washington State has saddened the nation, and early reports indicate that a person of interest is a repeat offender who once lived in Arkansas and was wanted on outstanding warrants here and Washington State,” said Huckabee in a statement tonight. “The murder of any individual is profound tragedy, but the murder of a police officer is the worst of all murders in that it is an assault on every citizen and the laws we live within. “
”Should he be found to be responsible for this horrible tragedy, it will be the result of a series of failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State. He was recommended for and received a commutation of his original sentence from 1990, making him parole eligible and was paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. this commutation made him parole eligible and he was then paroled by the parole board once they determined he met the conditions at that time. He was arrested later for parole violation and taken back to prison to serve his full term, but prosecutors dropped the charges that would have held him. It appears that he has continued to have a string of criminal and psychotic behavior but was not kept incarcerated by either state. This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our thoughts and prayers are and should be with the families of those honorable, brave, and heroic police officers.”
…….
“I think I can speak for colleagues in the other judicial districts, the other prosecuting attorneys around the state and say that Gov. Huckabee was reckless, wanton, and unaccountable for it,” Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley said in a statement this evening. “I hope to God it is not the same fellow…it will be my worst nightmare realized.”
UPDATE - First interview following the story braking…
“If I could have known nine years ago, looked into the future, would I have acted favorably on the parole board’s recommendation? Of course not,” commented Huckabee in an interview Monday morning with Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio. “One of the things that is horrible and one of the realities confronting the criminal justice system is that it is far from perfect and in this case it failed miserably of all sides.”
UPDATE II – Joe Carter, director of research for Huckabee for President shares some interesting insight on the clemency issue. The whole thing is worth a read but here are some highlights…
After
reviewing hundreds of cases and interviewing numerous people involved in the process, I concluded to my own satisfaction that the governor’s actions and judgment were generally defensible. Yet there remained about a half-dozen situations in which even after reviewing all of the information I was unpersuaded that justice had been served. Although I was sympathetic with some of the justifications offered for making the decisions, I found them inadequate for a number of reasons.
For example, in a number of the cases—and almost always in the most controversial requests for commutation—there was sense that the petitioners were attempting to redress injustices committed by the “Clinton machine.” The disdain for Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates that peaked among conservatives in the early 1990s remains palpable among Republicans in Arkansas. Many of the petitioners and supporters of the commutations and pardons were truly convinced that they were simply rectifying injustices committed by the former Democratic governor and his cronies. (This was especially true in the infamous Wayne DuMond case where the victim was a second cousin of Bill Clinton.)
…
Ironically, what makes Huckabee such an appealing Presidential candidate—his empathy for all people and genuine belief in the individual—is also the trait that will prevent him from ever reaching the White House. His experiences and intuitions that served him well as a minister of the gospel were not always applicable in of governor of a state. The unfortunate reality is that for politicians, unlike pastors, there are limits to compassion.
UPDATE III – Here is the Gov. Huckabee interview with O’Reilly tonight. Several people have asked me my opinion on this whole affair. I plan to share these tomorrow. As a long time Huckabee supporter, it will be painful.
November 29th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
I’m waiting for Tolbert’s comments on this issue…
November 29th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
“This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law” – Huckabee
WOW. Well, he would have been held to the fullest extent of the law if YOU hadn’t pardoned him!
November 29th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
This man is just one of 1033 felons that Mike Huckabee released from prison while he was Governor. Between Maurice Clemmons and Wayne Dumond 6 people have died because of what Mike Huckabee did. How many more murders will be committed by the human time bombs that Huckabee set loose on society?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:19 am
No surprise….
Anyone remember this video from one of the best political strategists in Arkansas?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFTdif_Lvsk
November 30th, 2009 at 12:21 am
I think this next tragic episode from the Huckabee legacy needs to be added to huckabeefacts.com
November 30th, 2009 at 12:54 am
Fox News needs to let this phoney conservative go. Huckabee and Romney are phonies pretending to be conservatives.
Huckabee should be sentenced for the murders of those 4 police officers, at least on charges of facilitation.
Huckabee clearly facilitated those murders.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Mr. Huckabee, I WAS one of your ardent supporters. No more. Your pseudo political career is over and likely your lame show on Fox. I am glad you can play the bass guitar. Maybe someone will hire you for a gig in your local watering hole. As far as I am concerned that is all you are worth. The fallen LE Officers today, I hope will haunt your memory for allowing Maurice Clemmons back on the street. If this is the same person that you commuted his sentence, nine children have lost a parent today. This won’t only be Mr. Jegley’s worst nightmare, it most definitely should be yours as well. I can’t imagine you will sleep well tonight. I won’t because I once was an LE Officer in the same jurisdiction. Those Officers were comrades and if you were responsible for this, God help you. What a colossal blunder on your part.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:00 am
Oh, and BTW, blaming the criminal justice system in Arkansas and Washington State is disingenuous as all get out. Yea, the parole board is responsible.(sarcasm intended) Who commuted his sentence in the first place Huck? Had you not, four courageous police officers would be alive tomorrow enjoying their families, looking forward to Christmas and a future. Sadly you took that away from them. I will pray you do the right thing and step up and admit you are fallible and admit your error in judgment.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:19 am
Yes it is a tragedy that those four policemen where killed, but what difference does it make that Huckabee pardoned him? It could have just as easily been another governor that had pardoned him, or maybe just a random guy from the street decided to go on a rampage. And if you remember the parole board recommended that he get parole, so its really the fault of the parole board, for deciding that someone who was obviously dangerous to even get that far in the process. And what about the prosecuters that dropped the charges after he broke parole the first time? If they had done their job, this might not have happened…this is bigger than just Huckabee, their are ALOT of people involved in this.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:31 am
You all need to check the facts. Huckabee commuted the sentence of a 17 year old on a 90 something year sentence 10 years ago. Commute is not pardon. Look it up, I promise you. The parole board is who released him on parole, which is still part of the corrections branch of the criminal justice system. He broke Parole, and went back to prison. When he served his punishment, he was free and he committed more crime, and that is why he has two warrants out for his arrest. Quit looking for someone to blame besides the killer. Sometimes you can’t prevent bad people from committing crime.
Secondly, if you want to talk about facilitators then you better look in the mirror. If this guy was set free on $150,000 bail ask yourself as a prosecutor what you or your colleagues did wrong to not persuade the judge to set this guys bail so high he couldn’t leave town. Or maybe you should ask yourself what kind of bail bondsman would have possibly accepted as collateral from a guy like this to satisfy a $150,000 loan? Last, isn’t the judge a facilitator too since he let this guy out a week ago on only $150,000? Maybe we should push the envelope further and blame his mother for not getting an abortion since 30 years later she should have known he might kill 4 police officers in a coffee shop.
Of course this all is predicated on Clemmons being the killer, right? And since he’s not even a suspect, maybe you ought to tone down the “Off with Huckabee’s Head,” rhetoric.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:40 am
By the way “No surprise”, Mike Huckabee didn’t pardon Wayne Dumond, we have the former governor of Arkansas to thank for that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubuq2KZIHfo&NR=1
November 30th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Of course its horrible and tragic. That is why YOU LEAVE CRIMINALS IN JAIL.
November 30th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Brice is making the most sense. Thanks for infusing some sanity into this conversation.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:33 am
FYI – I think Jegley said that Huckabee was reckless and “WANTON”, not wanted. I could not figure out why he would say “wanted”, then I listened to the audio and it is clear.. He said WANTON.
Please correct your typo.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Oh that is so brilliant, Brice. Bondsmen are in the business of bonding – that is what they do (look it up). It ain’t the bondsmen’s job to evaluate the criminal disposition of someone who has a court set bond. As for the prosecutor dropping the ball – well we all know that happens.
But who had more time to evaluate this guy – the prosecutor or Huck?
Huck has a record of being reckless in his commutations and pardons (just ask the county DA – but I’m sure you know more than him).
Huck COMMUTED his sentence and opened the door for him to get loose and NOT serve his sentence. There is also a lot of speculation of collusion back then b/w the governor’s office and the parole board – in other words – if Huck had your back you were gettin’ out, Jack.
Huck trying to distance himself from this and blame the parole board ain’t gonna fly with most folks – as it shouldn’t.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:54 am
Mr. Huckabee gave this man a chance if he threw it away that is his problem.But if you are going to hold Mr. Huckabee to a stander of blame for this mans crimes then all the liberals will be judged when the terrorist are freed after their Hollywood trials in New York next year.But i am sure you will see it differently threw your rose colored glasses.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Actually he DID pardon Wayne Dumond– http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=154e1aad-fd18-4efd-8d80-b5dab8559419
Like we’re supposed to believe Huckabee’s spin while he’s on national t.v. running for President? Give me a break.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Huck has blood on his hands over Clemmnons and Dumond. He will have to stand before the judgment bar of God and be condemned for his complicity in their crimes. He will be damned for failing in his stewardship as a Governor who released violent criminals with no concern for recidivism. Some will try to ameliorate his crimes because he is a man of the cloth. But that fact will doubly damn him. He was a shepherd who should have been protecting the flock. Rather than protecting the flock he endangered it by taking ravenous wolves who were imprisoned and turning them loose on the flock. Frankly, he is worse than the Catholic Bishops who protect pedophile priests.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
When I heard the radio show this morning, I threw up in my mouth a little, and I had thought someone else had given him clemency. I don’t blame Huckabee for personally going down there and killing those four officers. He said that the criminal justic system was to blame for commuting him, which he ultimately had to sign off on. Sure the parole board made the recommendatin, but at the end of the day, everything rises and falls on leadership. When something goes wrong on your watch as the executive in charge, it is your fault. don’t preemptively blame someone else.
I have been supportive of the Governor in the past over clemencies, but this radio show this morning was an irresponsible mess.
November 30th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Wow, the “threw up in my mouth a little” line. Last time I heard that it was some Junior High kid.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Actually, Governor Huckabee did not pardon Wayne DuMond or commute his sentence. The article Nicholas referenced plainly states that.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
While i dont agree with all of Governor Huckabees actions I choose to judge the man buy all of his actions and not just those I dont like. He was a good governor, a good Presidential candidate and a solid conservitive. He does not goosestep like the right wing would like but he is still a conservitive. Most of you would not vote for Reagan if he ran today. Since he was from Hollywood you would say he could not be real. Keep in mind he pardoned a lot of prisoners in CA, he passed the larges tax increase in the states history and he was friends with people who did not agree with him. He knew that we needed a big tent in order to build a governing coalition. I think it is fine to point out that this man sould not have been cummuted. But then lets get over it and move on. This blog is filled with such hate and negativity it blows my mind.
December 1st, 2009 at 12:36 am
@LD Jackson: Help me out here. Does the article plainly state that, above or below where it states: “New sources, including an advisor to Gov. Mike Huckabee, have told the Arkansas Times that Huckabee and a senior member of his staff exerted behind-the-scenes influence to bring about the parole of rapist Wayne Dumond, who Missouri authorities say raped and killed a woman there shortly after his parole.” ???
December 1st, 2009 at 8:43 am
first off, w, don’t criticize the blog for the comments. Jason has been kind enough to allow comments to flow freely here, even those he disagrees with.
To follow up on my previous comments, I have to say that perhaps I spoke too Hastily. It is completely possible that items left out of Huck’s statements yesterday were honest ommissions. today he took responsibility for the commutation, but if we examine this more closely, all he did was cut the guy’s sentence to 47 years and make him eligible for parole. The parole board cut him loose. Was it a mistake, yes, but hindsight is 20-20. Can’t blame him for what he could not know.
December 1st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
@John Mathis – I did not say that Huckabee did not favor the parole of Wayne DuMond. He did not, however, commute or pardon him. The article in question does not say he did either of the two.
As Nick said in the previous comment, hindsight is 20-20 and it is easy to second guess Huckabee on a situation like this. I honestly do not see how he can be blamed for Maurice Clemmons shooting the police officers or for DuMond’s rape and murder of the woman in Missouri.
December 2nd, 2009 at 2:18 am
God bless you Mr. Huckabee, you did your job and certainly arent to blame for this tragety. As for those of you who find it so easy to blame him for this, go look in the mirror and admire your perfection chhh