Today, President Donald J. Trump commuted the prison sentence of
Sholom Rubashkin, an action encouraged by bipartisan leaders from across
the political spectrum, from Nancy Pelosi to Orrin Hatch.
Mr. Rubashkin is a 57-year-old father of 10 children. He previously ran the Iowa headquarters of a family business that was the country’s largest kosher meat-processing company. In 2009, he was convicted of bank fraud and sentenced thereafter to 27 years in prison. Mr. Rubashkin has now served more than 8 years of that sentence, which many have called excessive in light of its disparity with sentences imposed for similar crimes.
This action is not a Presidential pardon. It does not vacate Mr. Rubashkin’s conviction, and it leaves in place a term of supervised release and a substantial restitution obligation, which were also part of Mr. Rubashkin’s sentence.
The President’s review of Mr. Rubashkin’s case and commutation decision were based on expressions of support from Members of Congress and a broad cross-section of the legal community. A bipartisan group of more than 100 former high-ranking and distinguished Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, prosecutors, judges, and legal scholars have expressed concerns about the evidentiary proceedings in Mr. Rubashkin’s case and the severity of his sentence. Additionally, more than 30 current Members of Congress have written letters expressing support for review of Mr. Rubashkin’s case.
Former High-Ranking DOJ Officials Who Have Expressed Support for Review of Mr. Rubashkin’s Case
Attorney General Bill Barr
Attorney General Edwin Meese III
Attorney General Michael Mukasey
Solicitor General Seth Waxman
FBI Director Louis Freeh
Current Members of Congress Who Have Expressed Support For Review of Mr. Rubashkin’s Case
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
Representative Mike Coffman (R-CO)
Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Representative Steve King (R-IA)
Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY)
Representative Richard Neal (D-MA)
Representative Tom McClintock (R-CA)
Representative Tom Marino (R-PA)
Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Representative Ted Poe (R-TX)
Representative Jared Polis (D-CO)
Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL)
Representative Tom Reed (R-NY)
Representative Tom Rooney (R-FL)
Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD)
Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Representative Albio Sires (D-NJ)
Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Representative Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)
Click here to read letters expressing support for review of Mr. Rubashkin’s case.
Mr. Rubashkin is a 57-year-old father of 10 children. He previously ran the Iowa headquarters of a family business that was the country’s largest kosher meat-processing company. In 2009, he was convicted of bank fraud and sentenced thereafter to 27 years in prison. Mr. Rubashkin has now served more than 8 years of that sentence, which many have called excessive in light of its disparity with sentences imposed for similar crimes.
This action is not a Presidential pardon. It does not vacate Mr. Rubashkin’s conviction, and it leaves in place a term of supervised release and a substantial restitution obligation, which were also part of Mr. Rubashkin’s sentence.
The President’s review of Mr. Rubashkin’s case and commutation decision were based on expressions of support from Members of Congress and a broad cross-section of the legal community. A bipartisan group of more than 100 former high-ranking and distinguished Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, prosecutors, judges, and legal scholars have expressed concerns about the evidentiary proceedings in Mr. Rubashkin’s case and the severity of his sentence. Additionally, more than 30 current Members of Congress have written letters expressing support for review of Mr. Rubashkin’s case.
Former High-Ranking DOJ Officials Who Have Expressed Support for Review of Mr. Rubashkin’s Case
Attorney General Bill Barr
Attorney General Edwin Meese III
Attorney General Michael Mukasey
Solicitor General Seth Waxman
FBI Director Louis Freeh
Current Members of Congress Who Have Expressed Support For Review of Mr. Rubashkin’s Case
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
Representative Mike Coffman (R-CO)
Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Representative Steve King (R-IA)
Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY)
Representative Richard Neal (D-MA)
Representative Tom McClintock (R-CA)
Representative Tom Marino (R-PA)
Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)
Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Representative Ted Poe (R-TX)
Representative Jared Polis (D-CO)
Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL)
Representative Tom Reed (R-NY)
Representative Tom Rooney (R-FL)
Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD)
Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Representative Albio Sires (D-NJ)
Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Representative Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)
Click here to read letters expressing support for review of Mr. Rubashkin’s case.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you vehemently against SR back in the failed messiah days? Why this sudden change of heart?
ReplyDeleteI was angry at what he did and how he handled the aftermath...but was just as angry at a justice system that sentenced him to a life sentence.
ReplyDeleteI wrote this in 2012:
ReplyDeletehttps://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2012/09/tell-supreme-court-sholom-rubashkin.html
I wrote this in 2008, and stand firmly behind what I wrote:
ReplyDeletehttp://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2008/06/dear-arthur-and-all-jews-of-whatever.html
I stand corrected. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNow, what about Jonathan?
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted that for all the hysterics from Chabad, OU & the Agudah Fressers, the judge was not actually caught red handed doing something wrong until the discovery this past year. But long before the judge was caught these orgs had an agenda to make Rubashkin into a martyr despite that he wouldn't owe up to a single crime he committed and was even caught lying in court.
ReplyDeleteOpen letter to Chaim Saperstein, owner of Front Page Magazine in Monsey who got all worked up today on Facebook defending Zusha Blech & his Open Orthodox shutef Zachary Goldman. After Chaim started with ad hominem attacks on those he disagreed with, the moderator removed the thread.
ReplyDeleteChaim,
How about full disclosure on Facebook? Wouldn't that be the proper thing to do for a "journalist" considering that you have a business relationship with Blech and take ad dollars from his accounts?
And how are your fairweather $$ friends the Schlissers at Challah Fairy, who continue as a Blech account in "good standing" of course, now even after that they have been convicted of the ponzi scheme?
Your last comment, Chaim, before you were deleted, was patently absurd. Blech has an Open Orthodox guy running a hashgocho out of Boulder CO yet that has absolutely no impact on the level of kashrus?