Barbour Is ‘Very Comfortable’ With Pardons

Talk about being soft on crime. Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is standing by his decision to either pardon or grant clemency to about 200 convicts five days before he left office. At a news conference on Friday, Barbour said he was “very comfortable” with his decision. "I am fully confident the pardons and other clemency I have given are all valid," he told reporters. Barbour, who considered running for president, added that only 189 of the people who got a reprieve had already been released from prison while others with chronic medical conditions will be on medical leave. The high number of pardons—his predecessor pardoned only one person—drew ire from victims’ families and other groups.