Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack against his arch-enemy Gavin Newsom, whose decision to commute the death sentences of 548 inmates the president labeled a ‘disaster for justice in America.’
In one of his final acts as outgoing governor, the Democrat announced on November 5 that he is sparing every murderer on death row in California.
The move sparked massive backlash, especially from conservatives like president Trump, who condemned Newsom for halting the death penalty for ‘some of the worst cold blooded murderers to have ever lived.’
He further dubbed the decision a ‘disaster for justice in America’ as ‘the family members of those who were so viciously killed are, rightfully, devastated.’
Newsom himself acknowledged that the prisoners he decided to give a second chance at life caused ‘indescribable suffering’ but also argued ‘the state cannot morally kill them.’
‘State-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California‘s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system and diminishes each of us,’ he wrote in a letter to California residents.
‘I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency.’
As the decision engulfed Newsom in controversy, he unveiled that it was the murder case of a 12-year-old girl that convinced him of granting clemency to every death row inmate.
Donald Trump lashed out against California governor Gavin Newsom for his decision to commute every convicted killer’s death sentence
The president took his fury to social media and described Newsom’s move as a ‘disaster for justice in America’
Newsom announced his decision in a letter to California residents earlier this month and continues to deal with strong backlash for the move
Polly Klaas, a school girl from Petaluma, was kidnapped in the city north of San Francisco and murdered in 1993.
Her killer, Richard Allen Davis, was caught and sentenced to death.
But when Newsom met with Klaas’s two sisters in October, they convinced him that execution is not the right path as it does not bring victims back, heal grieving families or restore a sense of justice, he said.
Instead, their words moved the politician so much that he later described the encounter as one of the most profound meetings of his life and crucial to his recent ruling.
However, Polly’s father, Marc, had less understanding for the death row commutations and strongly opposed Newsom’s handling of the death penalty.
Speaking to the California Post, he accused Newsom of liberating killers, who ‘are absolutely the worst, most disgusting people that have ever lived.’
Michael and Cynthia Ellerin, who lost their daughter Ashley to a man who butchered her in 2001, share that sentiment.
They told the Daily Mail that Newsom’s ruling was a ‘slap in the face’ to their family and every relative of a murder victim in California.
‘I could tell you if it was his daughter, he would change his tune,’ Cynthia added.
The Golden State has the highest number of convicted prisoners on death row in the country, but has exercised only one execution in two decades.
Amid controversial headlines, the implementation of Newsom’s ruling is just as contested.
According to the state constitution, the governor can unilaterally grant clemency and commute sentences for inmates who have only been convicted of a single felony.
But the California Supreme Court’s approval is required to grant clemency to anyone convicted of a felony more than once.
This means the court would have to approve 382 of the commutations, according to numbers provided by Newsom’s office.
The Daily Mail contacted Newsom’s office for comment.
