Huckabee Talks At JU About Commutation

Mike Huckabee arrived at Jacksonville University to speak to students Wednesday evening where he found himself answering questions about a former Arkansas inmate.

For the past week, the former Arkansas governor has been under fire for the story out of Washington where ex-con Maurice Clemmons was accused of shooting and killing four police officers Sunday.

At one point, Clemmons was serving a 108-year sentence in Arkansas when then-Gov. Huckabee commuted the sentence, making Clemmons eligible for parole in 2000.

"No one at that point was saying this guy was a cop killer," Huckabee said. "Most people would look at sentences comparable and would say 108 years was excessive."

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Many have said Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, commuted the sentence as well as many others during his time in office because of his religion.

When asked if religion played a role in his decisions, Huckabee said, "Certainly not in this case, and it didn't play a role in the decisions that I made. Did I say, 'Oh, this guy had a Christian conversion, so I let him go?' There had to be compelling reasons."

Several students at JU weren't too familiar with the issue, but one student whose dad is a Jacksonville police officer was in tune with the latest news concerning Huckabee.

"My dad's a (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office) officer," the student said. "I went to dinner with him. He told me to bring it up that he was disappointed with (Huckabee's) decision, but he still thought he was good guy."

With so many disappointed in the commutation decision, it could be an issue if Huckabee decides to run for president again in 2012.

However, Huckabee has said it's a tragedy and shouldn't be politicized like it has been.

In the 2008 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney of Massachusetts said he would never grant commutations. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota said the same thing recently.

Huckabee was told about their cases and was asked if Republican governors commute sentences often. He responded, "Something I have done that I don't think either of them have done, I carried out more executions than any in our state's history. So the idea that somehow that I'm a bleeding heart that lets everyone go is just ridiculous and nonsense."