Durbin, Senate Judiciary Democrats Probe DOJ's Concerning Termination Of Pardon Attorney, Weaponized Restoration Of Gun Rights To Dangerous Individuals
Liz Oyer was terminated by Deputy AG Todd Blanche after declining to restore the gun rights of prominent Trump supporter Mel Gibson, who pled no contest to battering a romantic partner
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Senate Judiciary Democrats in probing the reported dismissal of Liz Oyer, the former Pardon Attorney at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and first former public defender to hold the position.
In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Senators outlined serious concern over Ms. Oyer’s unexplained termination. Ms. Oyer revealed a troubling sequence of events suggesting a connection between her termination and her decision to decline restoration of prominent Trump supporter Mel Gibson’s gun rights, despite his pleading no contest to battering a romantic partner and losing the lawful authority to possess a gun in 2011.
The Senators began by stating: “We write to inquire into the deeply concerning circumstances surrounding Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Todd Blanche’s termination of Pardon Attorney Elizabeth G. Oyer, including an ongoing effort to weaponize the restoration of gun rights to domestic abusers and other dangerous individuals.”
The Senators then outlined political pressure from the Deputy Attorney General’s office endured by Ms. Oyer, writing: “The Office of the Deputy Attorney General (ODAG) charged Ms. Oyer with recommending individuals whose gun rights should be restored, a striking deviation from the Pardon Attorney’s traditional role. She dutifully compiled and submitted a list of such individuals, which ODAG returned with a request to add Gibson to the list. Ms. Oyer was concerned about the request because of Mr. Gibson’s history of domestic abuse, and because, unlike the other candidates, Mr. Gibson had not been the subject of a thorough investigation to determine whether he was likely to reoffend … According to Ms. Oyer, after she notified ODAG that she would not recommend that Mr. Gibson’s gun rights be restored, an ODAG official ‘essentially explained to me that Mel Gibson has a personal relationship with President Trump and that should be sufficient basis for me to make a recommendation and that I would be wise to make the recommendation.’ Soon after Ms. Oyer declined to recommend the restoration of gun rights for Gibson, a prominent supporter of President Trump, she was fired.”
The Senators then sounded the alarm over efforts by the Trump Administration to weaponize gun rights restoration in favor of domestic abusers and other serious offenders, writing: “Ms. Oyer objected to a proposal to automate the restoration of gun rights without reviewing the individualized circumstances of each offender. In the aftermath of Ms. Oyer’s termination, the current status of this dangerous proposal is unclear. This was followed by your issuance of an interim rule that would grant you authority to restore offenders’ gun rights, a power that you could then delegate to another DOJ official. The possibility that you could use this authority to automate the restoration of gun rights to domestic abusers and other dangerous individuals is chilling. This is only the latest incident in a troubling pattern of the Trump Administration elevating politics over public safety to benefit the President’s supporters.”
The Senators concluded with a portrayal of the troubling climate of retaliation at DOJ in light of this episode, as well as a series of information requests, writing: “DOJ’s termination of Ms. Oyer, apparently without justification, is particularly troubling in light of the Trump Administration’s purge of public servants, seemingly based on whether they are willing to carry out the President’s agenda of political retribution against his perceived enemies … These actions do not evince a Department dedicated to upholding justice without fear or favor.”
In addition to Durbin, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Click here for a PDF copy of the letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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