Not Assange - President Trump pardons women's voting rights pioneer Susan B Anthony
Wednesday, 19 August 2020
President Trump on Tuesday said that he would pardon Susan B. Anthony, the women’s suffragist who was arrested after voting illegally in 1872 and charged a $100 fine, as he tried to appeal to female voters on the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment giving them the right to vote.
The pardon appeared to be an effort to distract from the Democratic National Convention and narrow the historically large gender gap that has him trailing Joseph R. Biden Jr. in the White House race.
“She was never pardoned. Did you know that? She was never pardoned,” Mr. Trump said. “What took so long?”
Mr. Trump teased the pardon as he traveled on Air Force One on Monday, telling reporters he was going to erase the conviction of someone “very, very important.”
“She was guilty for voting,” Mr. Trump said, “and we’re going to be signing a full and complete pardon.”
Unlike other pardons that the president has given, Ms. Anthony is not someone whose work Mr. Trump has spoken of either in his campaign or during his presidency.
