BUSH ISSUES 14 PARDONS AND COMMUTES 2 SENTENCES

WASHINGTON -- President Bush granted 14 pardons and commuted two
prison sentences on Monday, but the benefactors included none of the
big names who had become the topic of speculation as Mr. Bush leaves office.

Mr. Bush has been relatively sparing in his use of pardons compared
with past presidents, and the latest round of actions continued that pattern.

The closest any of the defendants came to celebrity was John E.
Forte, a hip-hop artist and backup singer to Carly Simon who was
convicted of aiding and abetting in the distribution of cocaine. (Ms.
Simon put up the bail of $250,000 for Mr. Forte when he was arrested
in 2001 at Newark International Airport.) Mr. Forte was sentenced to
14 years in prison, but Mr. Bush commuted the remainder of his sentence.

Amid a flurry of recent clemency requests that reached historic
levels, a number of high-profile defendants have looked to Mr. Bush
for help. They included Michael Milken, the former junk bond king
convicted of securities fraud; Marion Jones, the former Olympic
sprinter convicted for lying about her use of performance-enhancing
drugs; Randy Cunningham, the former California congressman sent to
prison in a bribery scheme; and John Walker Lindh, an American who
pleaded guilty to serving with the Taliban.

There has also been growing speculation in Washington that Mr. Bush
might issue blanket pardons to government officials and intelligence
officers who took part in counterterrorism programs like Qaeda
interrogations, to protect them from the threat of criminal prosecution.

But none of that came to pass on Monday. Those issued reprieves had
been found guilty of mostly garden-variety offenses; one recipient,
Leslie O. Collier, was issued a pardon for a 1996 conviction for the
unauthorized use of a pesticide in killing bald eagles. Others who
received pardons had been convicted of income tax evasion,
unauthorized acquisition of food stamps, drug offenses and bank
embezzlement, among other offenses.

The Justice Department and the White House offered no comment Monday
on why the 16 people given clemency had been selected out of more
than 2,000 pending petitions.

Four of the 16 people lived in Texas or were convicted there. There
was no initial indication that anyone in the group had been a major
donor to Mr. Bush's campaign or had personal ties to him.

Pardons by presidents leaving office have sometimes created
controversy, including ones that President Bill Clinton issued to his
brother, Roger, and Marc Rich, the fugitive financier, in 2001 on his
last day in office. The Rich pardon was at the center of
Congressional and criminal investigations and has become an issue in
the expected nomination by President-elect Barack Obama of Eric H.
Holder Jr. as attorney general because of Mr. Holder's role in it.

Mr. Bush has made relatively infrequent use of the broad clemency
power granted to him in the Constitution, issuing 171 pardons and 8
commutations. He has issued fewer than half as many such actions as
Mr. Clinton or President Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Bush's most significant clemency came last year, when he commuted
the sentence of I. Lewis Libby Jr., a top aide to Vice President Dick
Cheney, after his conviction on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Mr. Bush has two more months in office to consider further pardons.
Until then, "the president will continue to carefully review clemency
requests and make determinations on a case by case basis," said
Carlton Carroll, a White House spokesman.

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PARDONS AND COMMUTATIONS

The 14 people who were pardoned and 2 who had their sentences
commuted by President Bush on Monday, as reported by The Associated Press:

Pardoned:

Leslie O. Collier, Charleston, Mo., pleaded guilty to unlawfully
killing three bald eagles.

Milton K. Cordes, Rapid City, S.D., convicted of conspiracy to
violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits importation into the country
of wildlife taken in violation of conservation laws.

Richard M. Culpepper, Mahomet, Ill., convicted of making false
statements to the federal government.

Brenda J. Dolenz-Helmer, Fort Worth, Tex., convicted of concealing
knowledge of a crime, medical insurance fraud.

Andrew F. Harley, Falls Church, Va., convicted of wrongful use and
distribution of marijuana and cocaine in a general court martial at
the Air Force Academy.

Obie G. Helton, Rossville, Ga., unauthorized acquisition of food stamps.

Carey C. Hice Sr., Travelers Rest, S.C., convicted of income tax evasion.

Geneva Y. Hogg, Jacksonville, Fla., convicted of bank embezzlement.

William H. McCright Jr., Midland, Tex., convicted of bank fraud.

Paul J. McCurdy, Sulphur, Okla., sentenced for misapplication of bank funds.

Robert E. Mohon Jr., Grant, Ala., convicted of conspiracy to
distribute marijuana.

Ronald A. Mohrhoff, Los Angeles, convicted for unlawful use of a
telephone in a narcotics felony.

Daniel F. Pue III, Conroe, Tex., convicted of illegal treatment,
storage and disposal of a hazardous waste without a permit.

Orion L. Vick, White Hall, Ark., convicted of aiding and abetting the
theft of government property.

Sentences commuted:

John E. Forte, North Brunswick, N.J., cocaine offense.

James R. Harris, Detroit, cocaine offense.