The New York Times: on Crime


Don Blankenship: Past criminal conviction not a barrier to running for office

In 2010 an explosion at a coal mine operated by Massey Energy killed 29 men. In 2015 Don Blankenship, the former C.E.O., was sent to prison for conspiring to violate mine safety standards. Blankenship is one of 4 Republicans with criminal convictions running for office this year, several of whom may well win their party's nominations. There is a much broader list of Republican politicians facing credible accusations of huge ethical lapses who nonetheless emerged victorious in G.O.P. primaries.
Source: N.Y. Times on 2018 West Virginia Senatorial race Mar 26, 2018

Jason Carter: No ban on the death penalty

Jason Carter distances himself from a man he has loved and admired since boyhood: his grandfather, former President Jimmy Carter. Of the elder Carter's call to ban the death penalty, his grandson said, "I love my grandfather, but we disagree." And when grandfather Carter offered to attend a campaign rally in Albany, Ga., his grandson politely asked him to stay home. "He wanted the people of southwest Georgia to see that he was a man of his own," the former president said in an interview in his office.

So it goes in what may be the nation's most awkward legacy campaign. Political families--from the Roosevelts to the Kennedys, Bushes and Clintons--have long been a part of American politics. Carter's bid to unseat Gov. Nathan Deal, the Republican incumbent, is testing the strength and durability of the Carter name in Georgia, a red state that Democrats hope to turn blue. But it is also a test of something more: a deep bond between a 38-year-old grandson and an 89-year-old grandfather.

Source: N.Y. Times on 2014 Georgia gubernatorial race Jul 26, 2014

Merrick Garland: Prosecuted terrorism as Justice Department official

Days after a huge bomb killed 168 people in Oklahoma City in April 1995, Merrick Garland was on the ground even as bodies were still being recovered, examining the crime scene and preparing for an eventual prosecution. Now a federal appeals court judge, Judge Garland was then the highest-ranking Justice Department official dispatched to Oklahoma City in the aftermath of the bombing. He spent the ensuing weeks helping to start the case, and later supervised the prosecutors from department headquarters.

Source: N.Y. Times, "Bombing case", by Charlie Savage Apr 27, 2010

Merrick Garland: Oversaw death penalty prosecution for Oklahoma City bombers

Garland's former colleagues say that the Oklahoma City case had a lasting emotional impact on Garland. At the time, he was the second-ranking figure in the office of the deputy attorney general, Jamie Gorelick. Ms. Gorelick recalled he insisted that she send him to Oklahoma City to help begin the investigation in person. "He not only volunteered," Gorelick recalled, "he basically said, `You need to let me go.' "

Several prosecutors who worked on the case said Garland worked tirelessly to help run the investigation; overseeing search warrants, interacting with other law enforcement agencies and meeting with surviving victims. He appeared in court for the preliminary hearings of the two main suspects, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

Garland was involved in major decisions including seeking the death penalty for McVeigh and Nichols. Garland apparently did not object to that proposal. McVeigh was found guilty and executed in 2001. Nichols is serving a sentence of life without parole.)

Source: N.Y. Times, "Bombing case", by Charlie Savage Apr 27, 2010

George W. Bush: 134 Texas executions are “fair and just”

Texas Gov. George W. Bush defended his state’s legal system Wednesday as “fair and just” and said there was no need for a moratorium on executions. “As far as I’m concerned there has not been one innocent person executed since I’ve become governor,” Bush said. Since he took office 5 1/2 years ago, 134 inmates have been executed in Texas. Bush said he has analyzed each capital case that reaches his desk.
Source: Associated Press, N.Y. Times on 2000 election Jun 21, 2000

  • The above quotations are from Media coverage of political races in The New York Times.
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2020 Presidential contenders on Crime:
  Republicans:
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(IN)
Pres.Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Bill Weld(MA) 		Democrats:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Larry Hogan (D-MD)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Gov.John Kasich (R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence (R-IN)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Pres.Donald Trump (R-NY)
V.C.Arvin Vohra (L-MD)
Gov.Bill Weld (L-MA)
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Page last updated: May 20, 2019