The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:36 PM
Department Of Justice Taking New Look At Former U.S. Navy's Sailor's Request For Pardon For Taking Classified Photo
The letter, from the DOJ Office of the Pardon Attorney, comes less than a year after the former sailor, Kristian Saucier, received a letter rejecting his pardon request on the grounds that it did not meet several criteria, including waiting five years.
The letter last year came as a disappointment to Saucier, who served one year in jail, and his supporters, given that President Donald Trump – during his campaign and after he took office -- had drawn attention to the handling of his case, describing it as overzealous and politically motivated.
I think the president is looking at this case real closely. He’s tweeted about it, he’s talked about it. I’m hoping he’ll decide in our favor. If Kris is lucky enough to get a pardon from President Trump, it would turn his life around.
- Ronald Daigle, attorney
Trump and Republicans often said the prosecution of Saucier -- who said he took the photos out of pride, to show his family where he worked – and investigators' approach to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's handling of classified information constituted a double standard.
Saucier, who served as a machinist's mate aboard the USS Alexandria from 2007 to 2012, used his cellphone to photograph parts of the submarine's nuclear propulsion system while it was docked at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Conn.
