Abraham Bolden's Pardon
If you have been following Abraham Bolden's case, you may already know that Mr. Bolden was pardoned by President Biden. Mr. Bolden was the first African American to serve on the President's protective detail. He had some complaints about his fellow agents (racism, laxity, heavy drinking) and was transferred out of the detail. After the assassination, Mr. Bolden was arrested, tried, and convicted for allegedly attempting to solicit a bribe from a counterfeiter in exchange for a file he supposedly stole. In Part One of my documentary, I set forth some of the facts of the case, including a statement from a fellow Secret Service agent who said that Bolden didn't even have access to the file he was accused of stealing.
If it is not clear from my documentary, I believe Bolden to have been innocent, and that his arrest, etc. was basically an attempt to discredit him since he was planning on telling the Warren Commission what he knew about Kennedy's protective agents. (At the very least, his account of being handed an AR-15 and told to "fake it" when he complained that he'd had no training on the weapon is very interesting, given that Hickey was only four months new to the Secret Service at the time of the assassination.)
So I was confused by Bolden's pardon, because I assumed that accepting a pardon meant acceptance of guilt, and Mr. Bolden has steadfastly maintained his innocence. It turns out I was wrong about the "acceptance of guilt" assumption. I wrote to Mr. Bolden via email to ask for clarification, and thus I learned that there is a cause for pardon "because of innocence," which is what Mr. Bolden applied for, and received.
Here is the email exchange:
My email (August 1, 2022):
Dear Mr. Bolden,
Please pardon me for asking about your pardon, but I am rather confused. Acceptance of a pardon usually does two things:
A) eliminates punishment for the alleged crime; and
B) creates a presumption of guilt for the one pardoned.
Am I missing something?
Given that you have already served the time for the crime for which you were convicted, and given that you have always maintained that you were innocent, I am confused as to why you would accept the pardon.
If you would care to comment in a reply email, I will include your response on my website www.a-benign-conspiracy.com .
Sincerely,
-Denise H.
Here is the reply I received from Mr. Bolden (August 2, 2022):
Ms. Hazelwood:
THE PARDON
Your observation has been the question asked by many who have followed my case. You are correct in understanding the standard and conventional rules governing pardons. A pardon is typically based upon an application filed with the pardon office for clemency. In the past years, the person requesting had to show remorse or admit guilt before considering the applicant's petition. The president has pardon power beyond that of the pardon attorney and sometimes may grant a pardon upon their discretion. You may recall that President Trump pardoned several persons that filed no request or application, nor did any of them express remorse for any alleged crime. A few served no prison time nor were they convicted of unlawful acts.
I applied for a PARDON "BECAUSE OF INNOCENCE" and a violation of my rights under the Constitution of the United States of America. I filed the same form and application for 58 years after serving three years and three months in various federal prisons. We filed the petitions under Presidents Nixon, Clinton, Obama, Trump, and Biden. President Trump sent the FBI to my home to discuss the issues. The agents interviewed me, my attorney, my son, and several families in the neighborhood concerning my request. The FBI interviewed several of my college associates and my past employment from age 17 to the present. They also reviewed my secret service files.
My pardon application asked specifically for PARDON "Because of INNOCENCE." The U.S. Attorney General's office employs knowledgeable lawyers experienced in reading trial transcripts and evaluating testimony.
On April 26, 2022, The President granted my petition unconditionally as filed. There was no logical reason for me not to accept a pardon predicated and based upon INNOCENCE when the facts of my case and my treatment were sufficient evidence to sustain the pardon as requested in the petition.
Since I cared to comment, I am sharing your email and my reply. Others have asked the same question, and this exchange will clarify my actions
Abraham W. Bolden, Sr.
If you have been following Abraham Bolden's case, you may already know that Mr. Bolden was pardoned by President Biden. Mr. Bolden was the first African American to serve on the President's protective detail. He had some complaints about his fellow agents (racism, laxity, heavy drinking) and was transferred out of the detail. After the assassination, Mr. Bolden was arrested, tried, and convicted for allegedly attempting to solicit a bribe from a counterfeiter in exchange for a file he supposedly stole. In Part One of my documentary, I set forth some of the facts of the case, including a statement from a fellow Secret Service agent who said that Bolden didn't even have access to the file he was accused of stealing.
If it is not clear from my documentary, I believe Bolden to have been innocent, and that his arrest, etc. was basically an attempt to discredit him since he was planning on telling the Warren Commission what he knew about Kennedy's protective agents. (At the very least, his account of being handed an AR-15 and told to "fake it" when he complained that he'd had no training on the weapon is very interesting, given that Hickey was only four months new to the Secret Service at the time of the assassination.)
So I was confused by Bolden's pardon, because I assumed that accepting a pardon meant acceptance of guilt, and Mr. Bolden has steadfastly maintained his innocence. It turns out I was wrong about the "acceptance of guilt" assumption. I wrote to Mr. Bolden via email to ask for clarification, and thus I learned that there is a cause for pardon "because of innocence," which is what Mr. Bolden applied for, and received.
Here is the email exchange:
My email (August 1, 2022):
Dear Mr. Bolden,
Please pardon me for asking about your pardon, but I am rather confused. Acceptance of a pardon usually does two things:
A) eliminates punishment for the alleged crime; and
B) creates a presumption of guilt for the one pardoned.
Am I missing something?
Given that you have already served the time for the crime for which you were convicted, and given that you have always maintained that you were innocent, I am confused as to why you would accept the pardon.
If you would care to comment in a reply email, I will include your response on my website www.a-benign-conspiracy.com .
Sincerely,
-Denise H.
Here is the reply I received from Mr. Bolden (August 2, 2022):
Ms. Hazelwood:
THE PARDON
Your observation has been the question asked by many who have followed my case. You are correct in understanding the standard and conventional rules governing pardons. A pardon is typically based upon an application filed with the pardon office for clemency. In the past years, the person requesting had to show remorse or admit guilt before considering the applicant's petition. The president has pardon power beyond that of the pardon attorney and sometimes may grant a pardon upon their discretion. You may recall that President Trump pardoned several persons that filed no request or application, nor did any of them express remorse for any alleged crime. A few served no prison time nor were they convicted of unlawful acts.
I applied for a PARDON "BECAUSE OF INNOCENCE" and a violation of my rights under the Constitution of the United States of America. I filed the same form and application for 58 years after serving three years and three months in various federal prisons. We filed the petitions under Presidents Nixon, Clinton, Obama, Trump, and Biden. President Trump sent the FBI to my home to discuss the issues. The agents interviewed me, my attorney, my son, and several families in the neighborhood concerning my request. The FBI interviewed several of my college associates and my past employment from age 17 to the present. They also reviewed my secret service files.
My pardon application asked specifically for PARDON "Because of INNOCENCE." The U.S. Attorney General's office employs knowledgeable lawyers experienced in reading trial transcripts and evaluating testimony.
On April 26, 2022, The President granted my petition unconditionally as filed. There was no logical reason for me not to accept a pardon predicated and based upon INNOCENCE when the facts of my case and my treatment were sufficient evidence to sustain the pardon as requested in the petition.
Since I cared to comment, I am sharing your email and my reply. Others have asked the same question, and this exchange will clarify my actions
Abraham W. Bolden, Sr.