Leading his second patrol through a minefield in Afghanistan in late July 2012, twenty eight year old Clint Lorance ordered fire upon three men speeding toward his soldiers on a motorcycle, killing two and wounding a third. He is now serving twenty years for murder in Leavenworth prison for trying to protect his soldiers. The president has the chance to tell the military and our enemies that when we send our young sons and daughters into harm's way we do not turn against them. The president has this chance to help the country begin to heal the wounds caused by this long war, just as President Lincoln used his powers to pardon soldiers in the Civil War, to try to heal the wounds.
Response to Petition
A Response to Your Petition on Pardoning Clint Lorance
Thank you for adding your name to a petition asking the Obama administration to grant a Presidential pardon to U.S. Army Lieutenant Clint Lorance.
We consulted with the White House Counsel’s Office about your request, and wanted to share what they had to say about this matter.
Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gives the President the authority to grant "Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States." For more than 100 years, Presidents have relied on the Department of Justice and its Office of the Pardon Attorney for assistance in the exercise of this power. With that in mind, requests for executive clemency for federal offenses should be directed to the Pardon Attorney, who will then conduct a review and investigation, and prepare the Department's recommendation to the President. Additional information and application forms are available on the Pardon Attorney's website, which you can find here.
The President takes his constitutional power to grant clemency very seriously, and recommendations from the Department of Justice are carefully considered before decisions are made. The White House does not comment, however, on individual pardon applications.
That's why we'll have to decline to comment on the specific request raised in this petition.
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