'Greatest of All Time' May Get Trump's Next Pardon

But late boxer's attorney says it's unncessary
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 8, 2018 8:07 AM CDT
'Greatest of All Time' May Get Trump's Next Pardon
President Trump arrives for a bill-signing ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House on Wednesday.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

It's been said President Trump has dozens of pardons on deck after this week's commutation of Alice Johnson's life sentence, and per the AP, he may already have one at the plate. "I'm thinking about Muhammad Ali," Trump was quoted as saying Friday by CBS White House reporter Jacqueline Alemany. The Independent notes Trump made the comments on his way to the G7 summit, adding that his administration is "currently preparing recommendations" for the Ali pardon.

The Courier-Journal notes it's not clear what exactly Ali would be pardoned for: Although the boxing legend was convicted in 1967 for evading the draft, the US Supreme Court overturned that conviction in 1971. The Toronto Star's Washington correspondent adds that Jimmy Carter also granted a blanket pardon to all Vietnam draft dodgers, something he did on his first day in office in 1977. Ali's longtime attorney, Ron Tweel, agrees the point seems moot, per Business Insider. "We appreciate President Trump's sentiment, but a pardon is unnecessary," Tweel said in a statement. "There is no conviction from which a pardon is needed." (More President Trump stories.)

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