President Trump has indicated he will not pardon Lindsay Clancy, calling her case a state matter beyond his reach.
The commander-in-chief addressed the request Sunday after Clancy’s defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, 75, made a direct appeal to him on national television. Trump, speaking to reporters, framed the situation as one where federal power simply does not apply. “It’s a very sad situation,” he said. “I certainly heard that, but look, it’s very sad. There is no winner there. There’s no win no matter what you do. Three children are dead.”
Reddington had gone on “Good Morning America” last week to ask the president for clemency after Clancy’s murder trial ended with a hung jury. “Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady – the type of person she is and what she’s been through – and consider a pardon,” he said on the ABC program. He later repeated the plea during a CBS Boston appearance, though he acknowledged Trump lacked the constitutional authority to grant it since Clancy faces only state charges.
The attorney, 75, suggested Trump could still shape the outcome through informal influence as prosecutors decide whether to retry the case. “If President Trump feels that this is a case that warrants that type of intervention from the executive branch, if you will — even though, legally, it’s not a federal case — he certainly has an awful lot of clout,” Reddington said. He added, “I think any type of help that we can get is helpful.”
Trump offered a measure of respect for Reddington’s advocacy while holding firm on his position. “I hope they can work something out,” the president said. “That’s something they have to work out.” He also noted he had heard Reddington is a “very good attorney.”
Clancy, 36, strangled her three children in their Massachusetts home in 2023. Her defense team argued she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings. The case went to trial and ended with a mistrial when a single juror refused to join the others in finding her not guilty by reason of insanity.
If prosecutors retry Clancy and she is found not guilty by reason of insanity, she would be committed to a state-run hospital for an extended period. The hung jury outcome left the case unresolved and opened the door for Reddington’s unconventional appeal to the White House, even as he conceded its legal futility.
The president’s response closes one avenue of relief for Clancy while leaving her fate in the hands of Massachusetts state authorities. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they intend to pursue a second trial.