Fox News 'Absolutely' Key in Getting Trump to Pardon Sailor

Kristian Saucier took pictures of classified area on nuclear submarine
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 10, 2018 4:29 PM CST
Trump Pardons Sailor Thanks to Lawyers' Clinton Defense
In this March 8, 2018 photo, President Trump listens during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Despite it getting dragged by the Justice Department and dismissed by a judge, lawyers for Kristian Saucier have proven that a legal argument consisting of "Well, what about Hillary Clinton though?" is a great first step toward a presidential pardon. CBS News reports Saucier, a former Navy sailor, served a year in prison after pleading guilty in 2016 to taking pictures of the reactor inside the USS Alexandria nuclear submarine seven years earlier. Saucier's lawyers admitted he knew the area was classified but say he wanted to show his family his job. Prosecutors said Saucier was disgruntled and risked national security, not to mention obstructed justice by destroying a laptop and camera. Saucier's lawyers argued he shouldn't go to prison because the FBI didn't charge Clinton for mishandling classified information, according to Bloomberg.

That argument got the case a lot of attention on Fox News and, therefore, a lot of attention from President Trump. Saucier's lawyer, Ronald Daigle, says Fox News coverage was "absolutely" key in getting Trump to care about the case, HuffPost reports. During the presidential campaign, Trump said Saucier's "life was ruined" despite doing "nothing" compared to what Clinton did. “It’s an old submarine, believe me, they have pictures of that submarine that nobody knows about, probably, right?” Trump said days before the election. Saucier, having completed his sentence, appeared on Fox & Friends last week. On Friday, the White House announced Trump had pardoned him. "Congratulations to Kristian Saucier, a man who has served proudly in the Navy, on your newly found Freedom," Trump tweeted. "Now you can go out and have the life you deserve!" (More presidential pardon stories.)

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