The pardon power is among the most important any governor can wield. Done honestly, it can correct injustice in the criminal justice system and extend mercy to the deserving. It can be a final check on a system that usually works but can spectacularly fail.
One example that comes to mind is the ludicrous conviction of Donald Trump for fraud in a case with no victims where the supposed victims very much want to do business with him again. And why wouldn't they? He paid off enormous loans on time and with interest. The corrupt judge in that case was so biased and deranged he imposed a fine that is perhaps the clearest violation of the Eight Amendment’s prohibition of excessive fines in American history.
According to George Washington Law Professor Jonathan Turley, the New York Court of Appeals slow-rolled their decision in that case, only overturning the fine but not the verdict on 08-21-25. Should the entire case not be vacated on continuing appeals, the chance that NY Governor Kathy Hochul would pardon the POTUS is vanishingly small.
Not so, however, with a convicted, illegal immigrant killer. Hochul recently pardoned one of those in a blatant attempt to keep him from being deported, and tried to keep the pardon quiet:
Graphic: DHS post
According to the New York Times, Hochul signed the pardon on July 1 — the day before Vatthanavong’s immigration check-in, which his lawyers feared would lead to his detention and deportation.
On July 1 — the day before Mr. Vatthanavong had a mandatory immigration appointment that his lawyers believed would lead to his arrest — Ms. Hochul signed a certificate granting him an unconditional pardon, “including offering relief from removal.”
Surely, Vatthanavong must have recently been convicted of murder? It must have been an obvious and notorious miscarriage of justice to have commanded Hochul’s attention? Not so much:
Vatthanavong’s criminal record stems from a deadly confrontation in Brooklyn in 1988, when he admitted to fatally shooting another man during a pool hall fight.
The man Ms. Hochul pardoned, Somchith Vatthanavong, 52, had been convicted of manslaughter as a teenager after he admitted to fatally shooting a man in 1988 during a confrontation at a Brooklyn pool hall, arguing that he had acted in self-defense.
What did command Hochul’s attention was the fact Vatthanavong was about to have an immigration check-in. His lawyers feared he’d be deported, a fact DHS confirmed. To keep a convicted killer in New York, Hochul issued an immediate and secret pardon. Apparently, New York doesn’t have nearly enough illegal immigrant killers? Perhaps they’ve all fled New York for red states?
Hochul’s office did not initially announce the pardon, unlike her past clemency decisions. Only after reporters pressed the issue did it come to light.
Ms. Hochul, a moderate Democrat who typically issues pardons in batches on a rolling basis, did not issue a news release when she pardoned Mr. Vatthanavong six weeks ago, as she had for many of the 94 people she had previously pardoned or whose sentences she had commuted.
"A moderate Democrat?!" In New York State circa 2025? New York City is poised to elect an Islamist Communist Mayor and we're supposed to believe New York would elect a moderate Democrat governor?
Shouldn’t governors be proud of their pardons? Shouldn’t each and every one be publicized to reassure citizens that justice and mercy are yet abroad in the land?
Not in Kathy Hochul’s New York. In that chaotic state, public safety and the fair and equal administration of justice take a back seat to Democrat politics and Trump Derangement Syndrome. Hochul would rather have a convicted, illegal immigrant killer loose than assist in sending him home to be someone else's problem.
Is it any wonder everyone that can is fleeing New York?
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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.