The fallout from the Lindsay Clancy triple murder case continues this week. On Friday, a Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial after the jury could not come to a unanimous decision following seven days of deliberations.
Clancy’s defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, spent the six-week trial making the case that his client was not criminally responsible for killing her three children due to postpartum psychosis.
When he appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday – his first sit-down interview since the hung jury – he had a bizarre request for President Donald Trump that made little sense to anyone with a basic understanding of the law.
The Pardon Request
While speaking with George Stephanopoulos, Reddington bizarrely asked the president of the United States to consider pardoning Clancy.
STEPHANOPOULOS: What’s next for Lindsey?
REDDINGTON: I’d like to say that perhaps Donald Trump, who felt compelled to speak out about this case may very well, Mr. President. I would hope that you would consider this young lady, the type of person she is, what she’s been through, and consider a pardon.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Thanks for coming in this morning.
REDDINGTON: My pleasure.
There’s just one problem with that. Lindsay Clancy is charged with a state crime, and Trump can only issue pardons for federal cases. That detail appeared lost on Stephanopoulos, but it did not get by CBS Boston reporter Kristina Rex, who followed up with the attorney later Monday.
REX: As you noted, the president took note of your case, and on Good Morning America this morning, you asked him for a pardon. But Lindsey’s facing state charges–
REDDINGTON: Yeah, I know.
REX: So a presidential pardon isn’t an option here. So, what’s the goal there?
REDDINGTON: The goal is pretty simple. It’s to seek help from Trump. I mean, if President Trump feels that this is a case that warrants that type of intervention from, you know, the executive branch, if you will, even though legally it’s not a federal case, he certainly has an awful lot of clout, and I’m sure that, you know, were he hypothetically to reach out to [Plymouth County District Attorney] Tim Cruz, you know, they’re both Republicans, you know, and I don’t know maybe, maybe that would be something that Tim would listen to and consider. I think any type of help that we can get is helpful.
Reddington’s comment about Trump came after the president addressed the case while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office Friday. “It’s a horrible tragedy. It’s a horrible tragedy. I see what’s happened, and it looks like it’s a hung jury,” Trump said.
“I assume there’s going to be another trial. It’s a terrible situation. Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can’t be worse,” he continued. “But you’ll find out what the price to pay is. There’ll be a price. It’s going to be [a] mental institution or jail or something.”
Megyn’s Take
On Monday’s Megyn Kelly Show, Megyn posited that Reddington didn’t actually know the rules of presidential pardons until after he made the comment on GMA, but she took greater issue with Stephanopoulos’ lack of preparedness in the moment. Watch:
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 1,393 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.