Mike Huckabee On Cop Killer Clemmons: I Am Responsible For His Commutation (Video)
Posted by Jim Hoft on Monday, November 30, 2009, 8:09 PM
Mike Huckabee was on The O’Reilly Factor tonight and took responsibility for releasing cop killer Maurice Clemmons from prison as governor in Arkansas.
Former Governor Mike Huckabee: First of all the tragedy of this, if I could have known nine years ago that this guy was capable of something of this magnitude obviously I would have never have granted the commutation. It’s sickening. The two people in this country that I value the most are soldiers and police officers because they are the only ones standing between our freedom and total anarchy. And, in the case of this particular individual he was sentenced to 108 years for two crimes when he was 16. The post prison transfer board, they recommended to me as governor for his commutation which didn’t release him it simply cut his sentence to 47 years. That would give him parole eligibility. That was the commutation. I am responsible for that and it’s not something I’m happy about at this particular moment.
Michelle Malkin called the interview a whitewash.
More… Clemmons reportedly told acquaintances the night before the attack to “watch the news” because he was going to “kill cops.” No one reported his comments to police until after the attack.
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Published February 7, 2012 at 12:41 pm - 66 Comments
Nahanni commented:
Too late, Mikey.
Go tell it to the families of those four police officers “how sorry” you are.
Evil Otto commented:
First of all the tragedy of this, if I could have known nine years ago that this guy was capable of something of this magnitude obviously I would have never have granted the commutation.
Well, obviously.
Which is why most people with common sense understand that it’s not a good idea to let violent, dangerous thugs who are serving 95-year sentences for raping a child and assaulting a cop OUT OF GODD*MNED PRISON, you moron!!!
It’s like Homer Simpson said, “Why must my actions have consequences?!?”
Judi commented:
This man should have never been released into the public. Even my 9 year old daughter while hearing about this on the radio said, “This man should die in jail!” Agreed! I am so sick of “cop killers.” I live in Philadelphia and we have seen enough! My brother is a police officer..and if he had been killed by this animal…you would be seeing me on every news channel raising hell!
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Dick Turpin commented:
What a weasel. This whole thing jsut sickens me. Yeah..he’s sorry NOW…..
Bottom line is that this Clemmons should never have been released. It’s too late to arm chair QB, Huckaphony. I hope that Clemmons get’s ‘what he deserves’ in the most painful way possible.
Jupiter commented:
Quick, Pat the First–make him stop! It’s…not his fault!
The killer woulda been paroled by somebody else. Doesn’t he realize IT’S NOT HIS fault?
Big Dawg commented:
I think I can say with a bit of certainly that it is all over for Mr. Huckabee. What a stupid, liberal thinking thing for this guy to do!!! People are not going to forget this come 2012. The liberals are going to have a field day with this. Idiot.
Anonymous commented:
Minors should receive no special treatment or sentencing. After all, their victims aren’t.
If you commit such a heinous act, your conscience is already seared. Minors should be tried and sentenced as adults.
Stephen commented:
There was a time when murderers and rapists were executed within a couple months of their crimes. Given we have DNA nowadays–why did that stop, especially when we have a match? Damn O.J. syndrome.
Stacy commented:
Lost all respect for Mr. Huckabee, and I really wanted to like the guy. I really did. His decisions cost innocent people their lives in violent ways. He may be against abortion, but he is obviously okay with child rape, rape, murder, theft, and crimes against humanity. He does not need to be president, and I will to everything in my power to make sure he doesn’t waste good people’s money trying to get his foot into the White House.
We’ll be finally getting rid of a despot, no need to replace him with a charlatan.
Pat the First commented:
Jupiter, what part of him being imprisoned and paroled AFTER the pardon don’t you understand? How is that hard to understand? Had he never done another thing to cause him to be imprisoned after being pardoned then we would never have heard from him again.
But he did get imprisoned and arrested more than once (as recently as last week). How do you leap over those other events and go from Huckabee directly to the Sunday murders? Are you just ignoring the actions of the other people in authority and putting all of the blame on Huckabee? If so, why?
This murder happened in an area I love and was my home for over 20 years. I have sisters who live in Seattle. It means more to me than it does to you.
I don’t blame Huckabee for those murders. I don’t even blame the Arkansas Parole Board or the court that released him on $15K bail last week. I blame Clemmons and him alone. He was the one who pulled the trigger.
This reminds me of people who jump all over Palin or Bush or even B.O. for things out of their control. Place the blame where it should be placed.
I am very glad that the police don’t take the time to assess blame. They are just going after the murderer. That’s the way it should be.
Teresa Rice commented:
This is not Huckabee’s fault. Should criminals never be paroled or released after serving their time? He showed this young man mercy and yes it didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean that any criminal at any time cannot change and be rehabilitated. Hindsight is 20/20. He could not be a fortune teller and know that in the future this teenager would become a cop killer as an adult.
Mike W commented:
I place the blame squarely on the judge who allowed Clemmons out on bail. The judge should do hard time for dereliction of the duty to protect the people from violent criminals.
1 commented:
The morons who knew about it beforehand should go down, too.
Callipygian1 commented:
Mr. Huckabee is a Christian, and a better man than I. His failing, if we can call it that, is believing in the redemption of a fellow human being. That said, I agree with most of the posters, and in hindsight it was a bad decision.
The real crime, and it will likely be prosecuted, is in “the acquaintances” who were told that a crime would be committed, specifically killing cops, and nobody chose to report it.
Kenny Solomon commented:
Pat The First: Amen.
I said it before and I’ll say it again……. When L.E. grabs this s.o.b., I really hope he resists….. even just a little bit.
Randy commented:
Ya know, this whole deal stinks. That being said, is it any wonder the republican party is dead? We keep eating our own. The dems are loving this.
NeoKong commented:
I’m not a big fan of Huck but I wouldn’t lame the blame at his feet. He took a chance on the guy when he was a kid and it failed. Huck may have been the first to let the guy out but he wasn’t the last.
Less than ten days ago Clemmons was in jail charged with 2nd degree child rape and he got out on bail.
I can understand clemency for a guy who committed his crimes as a juvenile and served 11 years even if I don’t agree with it but when he got released last week he had a rap sheet a mile long and was a hardened criminal.
You can blame his crime spree on the last guy to free him before you point the finger at Huckabee.
Brooklyn commented:
Bill O’Reilly gives another soft ball soft shoe.
Bill the SPINNER: ““I don’t think anybody watching thinks it’s your fault.””
Uh, no…
Mr. Huckabee shares responsibility for releasing this monster. He was a terrible Governor, and is a disaster for this Nation, who actually spent more and taxed more than the terrible Bill Clinton as Governor of Ark. The same con artist who lied about a Theology Degree and enabled the Maverick for his own personal gain.
Same fool who called GW Bush’s admirable – sound efforts in the GWOT “arrogant”.
Huckabee is a dishonest – misguided player, who blows with whatever wind, that will help the HUCKSTER, while hiding behind a Religious Image.
If he did his job correctly, 4 young Police Officers would be alive today.
This is the second time a monster released by Huckabee that we know of, who has destroyed more lives.
Notice how quickly Huckabee blames the system, declaring “it failed”.
No Mr. Huckabee, you failed. A convicted monster was set free by yourself, early, against the wishes of the prosecution, changing the criminal’s determined prison sentence.
You changed the outcome of the SYSTEM Mr. Huckabee, you set a monster free to hurt more fine Americans.
Brooklyn commented:
Randy?
Mike Huckabee is not a real Republican in any manner.
He is a Democrat, who played a game. Huckabee actually wanted to provide illegal immigrants who are adults a taxpayer funded education.
Mr. Huckabee part of the problem. It is no wonder why he pushed for McCain, and then lacked the class to exit the race after it was clear he lost.
It is regretful, but FOX’s credibility tanked when they gave this dishonest politician a show.
Sojourner commented:
I’ve never cared for Huckabee much.. a bit too Bill Sunday for my taste..that being said, who was it that put up the $15,000 plus collateral (something or things worth $135,000) to make up this guy’s $150,000 bond? Somebody put it up.. there will be plenty of time for blame later.
Robert commented:
Hard blame goes to the recent release. As an accused child molester with a horrific record, there is no way this guy should have gotten out.
Huckabee aspires to be the President of the United States. This case shows a gross deficiency of judgement on his part. Coupled with the other released convict, the fact that he pardoned more than all of the surrrounding states combined, shows this guy to be a liberal soft-hearted lightweight regarding crime.
Not only do I not want him to be president, I am tired of seeing him, period.
Mike W commented:
What is lost in this story is the cop killer Christopher John Monfort who ambushed 2 Seattle police officers on Halloween killing 1 and seriously wounding the other and also fire bombing 3 Seattle police vehicles. Monfort claims it was a revenge killing for the beating of a 15 yr. old girl while she was incarcerated in the Seattle jail.Could Clemmons motives have come from the same twisted motives as Monfort?
Monforts bio reads like Van Jones or Ayers and he could be working alongside Holder today if he was not in jail.
Blacque Jacques Shellacque commented:
No one reported his comments to police until after the attack.
Well, this comes as no surprise. Birds of a feather…
Robohobo commented:
That Malkin BBQ’s Huck is just her schtick. She is becoming the Cahrles Johnson of the Right. Huck stood up and admitted his mistake like a man.
Yeah, this critter should not have been let out but hindsight is 20×20. And Malkin and her ilk have perfect hindsight. I am so glad to have my betters like her tell me what to think and when.
IDIOTS.
ogee commented:
It’s the killers fault, period. This has been inspired by the squatter in our white house since the primary began and continues.
It’s called ghetto bragging rights and ‘God damn America.’ The Black National Foot Solidiers is what this killer was a member of and they think cops and white people are the devil and think whites owe them reparations of anything they want: their cars, property or whatever they can steal. http://underprivilegedjournalism.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/terrorist-regime-of-racist-lakewood-police-fed-just-desserts-alleged-activist-maurice-clemmons-hailed-hero-against-devils-in-pig-clothing/#comments
Lakewood is a town near Tacoma and Tacoma is between Seattle and Olympia. Tacoma is riddled with thugs. It used to be elite but not anymore. The thugs were very active in the caucuses in Tacoma, helping the squatter steal the primary. Yes their admitted purpose is to “destory America”.
Scott Jerome commented:
I imagine that if this cold-blooded murderer had killed Bill O’Reilly, the No Spin Zone would have a different spin.
Cindy commented:
After watching the video, it is crystal clear the blame is squarely at the foot of Huckabee.
The prosecutors did there job, he had no chance of parole until…the then Governor reduced his sentence allowing for parole.
Had Huckabee never intervened, these for cops would be alive. Had Huckabee never intervened a child would have been spared a cruel rape. Had Huckabe never intervened, so many others would have not be the victims to crimes committed by this animal.
If Huckabee “thinks the system is broken”, he has done nothing to fix it.
What a disgrace he is.
archer52 commented:
Two comments:
1. To Rice’s response that it wasn’t his fault. Sorry, it was. I spent my life in police work and I can tell you that there are people who should never be released from prison running around our society free to harm and kill again exactly because of people with the mindset like Huckabee’s. It’s stupid, shallow, self-serving (look at me, I’m compassionate!), and deadly. This guy was an animal. It is a fact that humans can be hardwired to be bad guys, even from birth. Look at Bundy, Dalmer, Gacy, etc. Some can be twisted so badly by their environment that we can never untwist them. It is a fact and one we should face and accept. The sooner we do, the sooner we quit getting killed by them while drinking coffee in a diner.
2. Huckabee is not the next Republican Presidential candidate. For many reasons, this one example included, he is so sold on himself as a compassionate, fence mending, big government can help, do-gooder along the lines of GWB but without the Texas backbone to smack down enemies. He’d dither and blather as bad as BO has in the last three months over decisions like sending troops to Afghanistan or putting his foot down on Iran.
We need more of a straight line, clear thinking, strong principled leader. A man who would play “whack a mole” with terrorists, tell Democrats to shove it, and say to the “moderate” wing of the Republicans either to get on board or change parties, because butt kissing is no longer an option.
Sadly, we don’t have one in the wings like that. We’ll have to grow one from a test tube using the Gipper’s DNA. It is a sign of the times, and it isn’t a good sign at all.
Huckabee is done. Please somebody tell him and shut off the lights at FOX. Go home, preach, do good works, but stop screwing up in the kitchen here. We’ve got serious work to do.
squeaky commented:
with 24/7 news reporting we hear continually of
innocent victims being kidnapped and murdered
by released criminals who were able to convince
an “authority” that they were rehabilitated. if
you consider also the folks who were supposed to monitor the guy in ca who held a girl 18 years…….. i’ve always tried to never over-estimate my ability to “save” someone. it’s a real leap of faith and if you make the wrong decisions can be fatal.
profile of a sociopath
http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html
ang commented:
No it was Bush’s fault, oh, no, anyway. The fault lies with several people, the loser himself mostly, Huckabee, and the most recent judge. His original crimes, were violent crimes against “people” not property! Thus, he should have NEVER gotten out. Huckabee is a RINO I believe, he did however say he was responsible but then in the next breath was blaming others who brought the clemency before him. The most recent judge that allowed bond should be held accountable also.
jim from cleveland commented:
The most dispiriting thing when one looks at this pathetic government in power is knowing that the party in opposition is clueless. I have full confidence that the GOP will put up a presidential candidate in 2012 who will be guaranteed to give the Blowhard a second term.
marie commented:
That interview last night was a joke. Had Huckabee not been part of Fox’s stable I wonder if O’Reilly would have been so kind?
Every time I see Huckabee I think of the movie Elmer Gantry with Burt Lancaster. Take a look and you’ll see the resemblance.
bg commented:
++
glad he took some credit..
however, his fault or not..
he’s still is a pompa$$..
==
Joanne commented:
If I would have known? Wow, I would think raping a child is a good indication that this man was a low-life piece of trash who didn’t deserve any right to be allowed back onto the streets to rape another child, let alone murder police officers.
texmom commented:
I think Huckabee’s explanation was reasonable and easy to check. I do not think he has blame in this. However, because these situations happen too often, maybe the focus should be on changing the laws so it is not so easy to reduce and commute sentences.
james commented:
Mike Huckabee is a dynamite person. He is a real person, not some fake off the wall politician who just kisses the public’s tail. He had every right to commute a 110 year sentence for burglary on a teenager. How was he to know what the man would commit 10 years later? I think the news reporters and the rest of the ignorant idiots who have so much to say should not throw them stones….it is so easy to do so………..
PJ commented:
If any of you bothered to listen, he did not apologize for releasing the scumbag, he apologized for commuting his sentence. Huckabee did not release the dirtbag, he commuted the sentence of a sixteen year old boy. The parties who did release the killer only recently, were two judges, and a whole string of other judges and parole boards…even after knowing that he recently assaulted an officer of the law, raped a young girl and several other charges. God is taking care of the killer right now I’m sure, and soon He’ll take care of those who helped him carry out his plan and escape.