Read the wording used by the unnamed Bush administration official. I don't like it. I still don't think they did anything wrong. They were doing their jobs, protecting the US-Mexican border, and shot a guy illegally crossing with 800 lbs. of marijuana. Fault the laws if you want, but don't fault them. How did they "violate their oaths?"
Admittedly I've tried to read up on the case and may not be aware of all the facts but to me this stinks--I mean the fact that they were ever tried and convicted in the first place. But I suppose GWB gets some credit for commuting their sentences, but still, I don't like how the Bush official's statement is worded.
"The president has reviewed the circumstances of this case as a whole and the conditions of confinement and believes the sentences they received are too harsh and that they, and their families, have suffered enough for their crimes," a senior administration official said.
"Commuting their sentences does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes. Ramos and Compean are convicted felons who violated their oaths to uphold the law and have been severely punished," the official stated.
"This commutation gives them an opportunity to return to their families and communities, but both men will have to carry the burden of being convicted felons and the shame of violating their oaths for the rest of their lives."
