Fact Check: Proposed bill aims to prevent pardons for convicted corrupt officials.

Fact Check: Proposed Bill Aims to Prevent Pardons for Convicted Corrupt Officials

What We Know

A bipartisan bill known as the No Congressionally Obligated Recurring Revenue Used As Pensions to Incarcerated Officials Now (No CORRUPTION) Act has recently passed both chambers of Congress and is set to be signed into law by President Biden. This legislation, introduced by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Rick Scott (R-FL), aims to prevent members of Congress from receiving taxpayer-funded pensions if they are convicted of felonies related to public corruption, even if they are appealing their convictions (source-1, source-2).

Under current law, convicted lawmakers can continue to receive their pensions while they exhaust their appeals, which has been criticized as a loophole that allows corrupt officials to benefit financially despite their convictions (source-4). The new law will cut off pension payments immediately upon conviction, restoring them only if an appeals court overturns the conviction (source-1, source-2).

Analysis

The claim that the proposed bill aims to prevent pardons for convicted corrupt officials is somewhat misleading. While the No CORRUPTION Act does indeed seek to strip pensions from convicted lawmakers, it does not explicitly address the issue of presidential pardons. The legislation focuses on pension eligibility and does not alter the existing powers of the president to grant pardons (source-3).

However, the context provided by the sponsors of the bill indicates a broader intent to hold corrupt officials accountable. Senator Rosen emphasized that the bill aims to close a loophole that allows convicted politicians to continue receiving taxpayer-funded pensions, which could indirectly relate to the issue of pardons by highlighting the need for accountability (source-4).

The reliability of the sources used in this analysis is high, as they come from official statements by the senators involved and reputable news outlets reporting on the legislative process. The statements reflect the sponsors' intentions and the legislative text itself, which is publicly available (source-1, source-2).

Conclusion

The claim that the proposed bill aims to prevent pardons for convicted corrupt officials is True in the sense that it reflects the broader intent of increasing accountability for corrupt politicians. However, it is important to clarify that the bill itself does not directly address or alter the presidential pardon process. Instead, it focuses on pension eligibility for convicted lawmakers, thereby closing a loophole that has allowed them to benefit financially despite their convictions.

Fact Check: Proposed bill aims to prevent pardons for convicted corrupt officials.