Donald Trump's wrong pardons are a dangerous precedent

Trump's pardons set a dangerous precedent!

To Donald Trump - "No one is above the law".

Maine Writer - Preisdential pardons should be very rare and carefully reviewed before releasing from prison people who were duly convicted by judicial due process, like by a military court martial. Donald Trump demonstrates once again that he has no regard for the law. Tragically, he has yet to learn that no one is above the law. He uses his authority to "pardon" convicted prisoners without regard for the consequences.

This echo opinion letter was published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a Virginia newspaper.

Editor, Times-Dispatch:

Donald Trump recently made the (wrong!) decision to absolve three U.S. service members of war crimes they committed while deployed. Decisions like these set a dangerous precedent in the military and undermine the United States’ commitment to civility and the rule of law overseas. The rules of engagement established by the military set clear guidance on how to interact with civilians and enemy combatants. Not only does the United States subscribe to these rules, but we expect our allies to as well. Donald Trump’s choice sets a clear precedent to our allies and our future enemies that the United States no longer respects the rules we created. This is an extremely dangerous norm to set in the international community, and it undermines the basic rules of international law, which the United States wrote.

Trump also acted against the advice of military commanders and his secretary of defense. The military has a clear stance on the rules of engagement: They continue to respect them and uphold their values even under the most difficult and confusing circumstances. Prosecuting these service members presented a challenge unto itself, as most units refuse to turn in their peers for actions taken during battle. However, the process, which proved that the military justice system was operating in a robust manner, was flipped on its head. Setting this precedent is dangerous. No commander in chief should overturn a strictly apolitical decision made by the military to serve his own political ends.

Callie Scrogan, Richmond, Virginia