Burchett didn't intend to back clemency for killer Leonard Peltier, his chief of staff says | Ashe

U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett’s signature appears on an Oct. 6, 2023, letter to President Joe Biden asking for clemency for Leonard Peltier,  the Native American activist who was convicted of murdering two FBI agents in 1975.

However, late last week, Burchett’s chief of staff, Michael Grider, said it was an electronic signature that was mistakenly placed on the letter.

Peltier has become a hero to the left. The letter to Biden was cosigned by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. Burchett's is the sole Republican signature on the letter.

Here is the Nov. 16 response from Grider:

“The Congressman’s electronic signature was included on the letter as a result of miscommunication. He previously expressed interest in the topic and a tentative willingness to support the request, because, as you surely have found in your own research, one of the judges in the case, as well as the former U.S. Attorney whose office prosecuted the case, have both called for his release and/or commutation of his sentence. … This is in addition to calls for clemency from Mother Theresa and Desmond Tutu, as well.

"However, the miscommunication occurred when the member of Congress who was originally leading the letter decided not to do so, and Congressman Burchett understood the matter to be moot and no longer intended to sign onto it.

"Unfortunately, that was not communicated to staff, so the Congressman’s electronic signature was included on the letter when another member took up the cause and his office sought signatories.

"At the request of a number of constituents in the law enforcement community, including current and former FBI agents, our office is in the process of drafting a letter to the administration clarifying that the Congressman’s signature was included as a result of this miscommunication.”

Peltier, in my view, committed a terrible crime. I am glad Burchett is not now party to asking for clemency.

Thanks to my inquiry, Burchett’s office is now moving six weeks after the letter was sent to remove his name and disassociate himself from it. It is surprising he and his office did not realize his signature was there.

Burchett continues to act against most of his GOP colleagues in Congress. He takes steps that leave me scratching my head in disbelief as he separates himself from the vast majority of congressional Republicans.

His vote Oct. 3 with the Democrats to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker will live with him for the rest of his time in Congress. I find it very disappointing on many levels that he did this after voting for McCarthy last January.

Burchett and GOP insurgent Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida talk about how bad it is to cut deals with Democrats, but that is precisely what they did. Burchett stiffed 97% of his own GOP caucus with his vote against McCarthy.

The name-calling between Burchett and McCarthy makes both of them look bad and reduces it to a third-grade fight on a playground. So much for civil discourse.

On Nov. 3, Chancellor John Weaver gave the green light to Knox News to take depositions for any reasonable amount of time in its lawsuit against the city of Knoxville seeking records from the search for a new police chief last year.

The names have been released but Knox News wants to discover how and why the withholding occurred in the first place. The city’s attorney had asked to limit the depositions to six people for one hour each. Weaver rejected that restriction.

Bill Jenkins, the oldest former Tennessee member of Congress, turns 87 Nov. 29. He lives in Rogersville, Tennessee. He has had a distinguished career as House speaker, conservation commissioner, TVA director and congressman.

The oldest former U.S. senator from Tennessee is Jim Sasser, 87. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Former Kansas senator Nancy Kassebaum, widow of former Tennessee senator Howard Baker, is the 10th-oldest living U.S. senator. She is 91 and lives in Kansas.

Birthdays

Nov. 25: Jeffrey Roth is 60. Barbara Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush, is 42. Caroline Covington is 38. Clifford Johnson is 76. Mark Broussard is 27. Kimberly Henry is 58.

Nov. 26: Attorney George Underwood is 64. Sessions Judge Andrew Jackson IV is 68. Tom Gilbertson is 66. Lysette Aviles is 55. East Tennessee Foundation head Keith Barber is 56.

Nov. 27: Sherif Guindi is 50. Cassandra McGee Stuart is 58. Pete Claussen is 83. Kent Morrell is 55. Linda Payne is 62. Donna Griffith is 71. Register of Deeds Nick McBride is 54. Christopher Lochmuller is 50.

Nov. 28: Former state representative Roger Kane is 60. Eric Vreeland is 60. Ellen McIntyre is 64. Gerald Witt is 44. Attorney Tom Dillard is 82. Aaron Richardson is 38. Tyra Haag is 42. Mingzhou Jin is 51. Cullen Wojcik is 48.

Nov. 29: Former city councilman George Wallace is 65. Board of Regents member Danni Varlan is 68. Attorney Ron Koksal is 80. Rodney Lawler is 84. County Commissioner Richie Beeler is 59. Bill Cobble is 83. KUB’s Andrew Hmielewski is 40.

Nov. 30: Tom Ballard is 77. Architect Doug McCarty is 74. Coleton Bragg is 38. Tom Underwood is 90. Attorney Jim Giffen is 81. Former state rep Joe Armstrong is 67. Natalie Haslam is 92. Patricia Robledo is 60. Jennifer Searle is 57. Attorney Brooklyn Sawyers Belk is 43.

Knox News and Shopper News promptly correct all errors. If you think we have published incorrect information, please email accuracy@knoxnews.com. Describe the error, where you saw it, the date, page number or the URL.

Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News. 

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rep. Tim Burchett doesn't back clemency for killer Leonard Peltier