(PresidentialWire.com)- As Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania, Democrat Senate hopeful John Fetterman appointed to the state’s Board of Pardons a woman who considers cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal a “friend.”
In January, Fetterman, who has Lt. Governor oversees the Board of Pardons, named Celeste Trusty as secretary.
Trusty, who has worked for years with Fetterman, served as his campaign political director and is a longtime prison reform activist who has in the past called for the police to be disarmed.
Trusty is also a loyal supporter of Abu-Jamal who is serving a life sentence for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer, Daniel Falkner.
Describing the cop killer as her “friend” and “my buddy,” Trusty said she frequently corresponds with Abu-Jamal.
As part of his campaign for Senate, Fetterman has highlighted his involvement with the Board of Pardons, claiming that he “transformed” the position by championing “the fight to free the wrongfully convicted and give second chances to deserving longtime inmates.”
But Fetterman’s idea of “second chances” includes voting to free several murderers over the protests of their victims’ families. Last year, Fetterman was the only member of the Board of Pardons to vote in favor of granting a pardon to convicted first-degree murderer Wayne Covington. Covington pleaded guilty in order to avoid the death penalty for killing a man to steal money for heroin.
Fetterman had said the primary reason he ran for lieutenant governor was so he could oversee the Board of Pardons. Both he and Celeste Trusty have been pushing for an end to mandatory life sentences for those convicted of second-degree murder.
As secretary, Trusty does not have a vote on pardons. Her role on the board is to oversee the daily operations, moderate its hearings, and advise members of the board.
