As President Donald Trump faces criticism over granting a pardon to former national security adviser Michael Flynn, figures show he has wielded his clemency power less than any commander-in-chief in recent history.
Trump detailed a full pardon for Flynn on Wednesday, calling it his "great honor" to be able to bestow this. He faced swift criticism from Democrats and condemnation on social media.
While Trump's use of his clemency power has been questioned, with the commutation of Roger Stone's sentence earlier this year facing similar backlash, he has used it less than his predecessors.
According to figures tallied by Pew Research Center, as of November 23 Trump had granted 28 pardons and 16 commutations over his term in office. This amounted to 0.5 percent of such requests being granted.
In comparison, Barack Obama over his two terms gave 212 pardons and 1,715 commutations, around 5 percent of requests made.
Pew looked at president's back to William McKinley. Trump's figures were lower than any of the presidents listed, in terms of overall numbers and percentage of requests granted.
The Justice Department statistics this was based on do not detail clemency... (Read more)
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