President Obama used his clemency powers for the first time since taking office and pardoned nine people, including Percy Cummings, who was being held without bail in Federal custody for allegedly sexually assaulting a TSA agent.
WikiLeaks recently released thousands of leaked documents relating to the arrest of Percy Cummings, which caused great embarrassment to the TSA and the Obama administration. The TSA agent who was named as the alleged victim of the assault has been suspended with pay pending an independent Justice Department investigation of the arrest. Gay and conservative groups, in a rare alliance, have rallied to Percy Cummings’ side, pressuring the TSA even further.
President Obama denied that the release of the arrest documents by WikiLeaks had influenced his decision. “Extending a pardon to Percy Cummings was the right thing to do under the circumstances. I can fully sympathize that Mr. Cummings’ response to the pat-down was involuntary. When the First Lady touches my junk, I also spunk.”