A federal judge in Iowa slammed President Trump
U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt made the statement during an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Pratt said, “Apparently to get a pardon, one has to be either a Republican, a convicted child murderer or a turkey.”
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Pratt was referring to Trump’s Republican allies in the government, security contractors convicted of killing civilians in Iraq and the turkey that is pardoned each Thanksgiving.
The AP reports that Pratt’s statement came when he was asked by the news outlet for a comment on the recent pardoning of former aides for ex-Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) who were convicted on corruption charges related to the Iowa caucuses.
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McConnell signaled separately that he could package the increase in direct stimulus checks, with a repeal of a tech shield that has emerged as a top target for Trump and election-related investigations. Trump, in his statement on signing the $2.3 trillion package, said the Senate would start the process for a vote that tackles the three issues. During this process, the president highlighted three additional issues of national significance he would like to see Congress tackle together, McConnell said. Those are the three important subjects the president has linked together. This week the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus, he added.