President Trump suggested he would not be able to grant Lindsay Clancy a presidential pardon after the murder case against the Massachusetts mother ended in a mistrial.
Trump indicated that the high-profile prosecution falls under state jurisdiction rather than federal law, meaning the president does not have the authority to intervene directly.
“It’s a very sad situation,” Trump told reporters Sunday. “I certainly heard about 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.”
Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, had publicly asked Trump to consider clemency during an appearance on “Good Morning America” last week, following the mistrial.
“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,” the 75-year-old lawyer said.
Reddington repeated the appeal during an appearance on CBS Boston, while acknowledging that Trump could not legally pardon Clancy because she faces state charges. Presidential pardons apply only to federal offenses.
Still, Reddington said Trump could potentially influence the situation as prosecutors decide whether to retry Clancy in connection with the deaths of her three young children.
“If President Trump feels that this is a case that warrants that type of intervention from the executive branch, even though legally it’s not a federal case, he certainly has an awful lot of clout,” Reddington said.
“I think any type of help that we can get is helpful.”
Trump also said he had heard that Reddington was a “very good attorney.”
“I hope they can work something out,” Trump said. “That’s something they have to work out.”
Clancy, 36, was accused of strangling her three children inside their Massachusetts home in 2023. Her defense team argued that she was experiencing severe postpartum psychosis at the time of the deaths.
The mom wasn’t convicted after a sole holdout juror refused to find her not guilty by reason of insanity.
If she is tried again and found not guilty by reason of insanity, she will spend years in a state-run hospital.
