Barbara McQuade
Kwame Kilpatrick was released early from prison in January by President Trump not because of the merits of the case, but due to his connections, says former Detroit U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, whose office prosecuted the former mayor.
"It seemed that President Trump had a propensity to grant clemency to those who are well-connected, as opposed to those who are most deserving," McQuade says on a podcast, "The Craig Fahle Show on Deadline Detroit."
"So, for example, Kwame Kilpatrick ended up serving seven years of a 28-year sentence. Meanwhile, his co-defendant Bobby Ferguson, whose conduct at trial, I believe was less egregious, and that was reflected in his sentence of 21 years, three-quarters of the sentence that Kwame Kilpatrick got -- he didn't get any clemency from President Trump."
She also talks about the trial of George Floyd's accused killer, Attorney General Merrick Garland and his impact on Justice Department morale, and her new podcast, "#SistersinLaw" with three fellow attorneys.
McQuade, U.S. Attorney in Detroit under President Obama from 2010-17, is a regular commentator on MSNBC. She also teaches law at the University of Michigan.
Below is the full podcast.
