Trump Commutes Sentence of Sholom Rubashkin

What’s the story?

President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of Sholom Rubashkin, a former kosher meat-processing executive who was convicted of bank fraud and money laundering in 2009.

Rubashkin has served more than eight years of his 27-year sentence.

Pardon or Commutation?

Unlike a pardon – which undoes the initial conviction – a commutation slashes the length of someone’s punishment.

The White House pointed out that "this action is not a Presidential pardon. It does not vacate Mr. Rubashkin’s conviction, and it leaves in place a term of supervised release and a substantial restitution obligation, which were also part of Mr. Rubashkin’s sentence."

What was Rubashkin Convicted of?

As the Des Moines Register explained, Rubashkin’s Iowa-based meatpacking plant was "raided by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in May 2008, leading to the arrests of nearly 400 Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants who were living and working in the country without authorization."

This "led investigators to suspicious invoices and other sales records that Rubashkin faked to make the company appear on better financial footing."

Why Commute Rubashkin’s Sentence?

In a statement, the White House said the decision to commute Rubashkin’s sentence was "an action encouraged by bipartisan leaders from across the political spectrum, from Nancy Pelosi to Orrin Hatch."

It also notes that Rubashkin "has now served more than 8 years of that sentence, which many have called excessive in light of its disparity with sentences imposed for similar crimes."

What do you think?

The White House said Trump’s commutation decision was "based on expressions of support from Members of Congress and a broad cross-section of the legal community"—does it also have your support? Are you hoping for more commutations – and pardons – from Trump in the future? Have you petitioned your reps for either? Hit Take Action, let them know, then share your thoughts below.

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—Josh Herman

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(Photo courtesy Justice For Sholom)