[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 117 (Friday, September 10, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S10723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PARDONING TERRORISTS BY THE PRESIDENT

  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, today I want to talk about the tax cut. But 
I can't help but comment, if only very briefly, about the fact that 
some of the terrorists pardoned by the President are schedule to be 
released today. They were imprisoned for up to 90 years in response to 
the convictions that were achieved following some 130 bombings in 
America--the worst terrorist assault in the history of the United 
States.
  We are told by the White House that fighting terrorism is a No. 1 
priority. But obviously it is not as important as politics.  It is 
outrageous that at a time when the greatest national security threat 
facing America is terrorism, that the President of the United States is 
pardoning radical Puerto Rican nationalists who helped carry out the 
worst wave of terrorist violence in the history of our country. I think 
it sends a terrible signal.

  I notice the President was saying yesterday that among those who had 
recommended to him that he pardon these terrorists was former President 
Jimmy Carter. What an interesting paradox it is that this wave of 
terrorism, in fact, increased in intensity after then-President Carter 
pardoned the terrorists who were in prison as a result of an attempt to 
kill President Truman and were in prison as a result of a shooting in 
the Chamber of the House of Representatives where Members of Congress 
were wounded. Those acts of violence were perpetrated in the name of 
the same cause as that espoused by the terrorists who have now been 
granted clemency by President Clinton.
  I don't know how long it will take President Carter and President 
Clinton to understand that terrorism is a threat to America and to 
every American. When you pardon terrorists, you lower the cost for 
committing terrorist acts.
  Our Democrat colleagues have objected for the second time to a simple 
resolution that condemns the President's actions in pardoning these 
convicted terrorists. I don't know whether they intend to vote no or 
whether they intend to vote present, but I don't think there is much 
confusion. You either believe the President ought to be pardoning these 
convicted terrorists, or you believe he shouldn't. I wish our Democrat 
colleagues would let the Senate state its opinion on this important 
subject as the House did.

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