White House Press Release
President Trump Commutes Sentence of Sholom Rubashkin
President Donald J. Trump commuted the prison sentence of Sholom Rubashkin, on December 20, 2017, an action almost unanimously supported by most of the government. It was a Chanukah miracle. People danced in the streets, there were parties and parades. What was so special about Rubashkin’s release?
Mr. Rubashkin is a 57-year-old father of 10 children. He previously ran the Iowa headquarters of a family business that was the country's largest kosher meat-processing company. In 2009, he was convicted of bank fraud and sentenced to a shocking 27 years in prison, a number considered quite excessive in light of convictions for similar crimes that carried sentences of only a few years.
Many people believed Rubashkin’s sentence was the result of an anti-semitic jury and judge and they had evidence to prove it. There was a huge outpouring of support from the Jewish community to have Rubashkin’s sentence lightened.
After serving eight years of his sentence, a new president came to power. President Donald J Trump took care of the situation, making sure justice was served. This action is not a Presidential pardon. It does not vacate Mr. Rubashkins conviction, and it leaves in place a term of supervised release and a substantial restitution obligation, which were also part of Mr. Rubashkins original sentence.
The Presidents review of Mr. Rubashkins case and commutation decision were based on expressions of support from Members of Congress and a broad cross-section of the legal community. A bipartisan group of more than 100 former high-ranking and distinguished Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, prosecutors, judges, and legal scholars have expressed concerns about the evidentiary proceedings in Mr. Rubashkins case and the severity of his sentence. Additionally, more than 30 current members of Congress have written letters expressing support for review of Mr. Rubashkins case.”
After hearing this news, I celebrated with the rest of the Jewish nation. Hashem made sure that justice was served, and made an open miracle on Chanukah. B”H we have a president who thinks about the Jewish people. President Trump used his presidential power to rectify the mistake of the anti-semitic jury and judge who sentenced Rubashkin so harshly. And so, with Rubashkin’s return, the entire Jewish community was able to come together and celebrate in this huge simcha.
