Cable News Clips

The White House did not consider any of those details when weighing the charges against Conahan or the cases of other individuals who received commutations on Thursday, said the administration official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the clemency process. Instead, the administration granted commutations en masse to all those who fit a broader set of parameters, touting the move as a record-setting act of mercy carried out just before the holidays.

Those commutations were extended to people on Covid-related home confinement after federal authorities verified that their offenses were nonviolent and not a sex offense or terrorism related, the official said. They were also all considered a low risk for recidivism, had not engaged in any violent or gang-related activity while in prison and had been on good behavior for at least a year. None of the commutations granted were individual decisions, the official added, and none who met the criteria were excluded.