President Donald Trump indicated he will not grant a pardon to Lindsay Clancy following a mistrial in her murder case.
Speaking to reporters Sunday, the president stated he cannot intervene because the legal matter is handled by state authorities rather than federal officials.
Describing the case, Trump called the situation “a very sad situation”.
Addressing the loss of life, Trump stated that “there is no winner there” and “there’s no win no matter what you do” because “three children are dead”.
The president spoke after defense lawyer Kevin Reddington requested executive clemency.
Appealing on television, Reddington asked Trump, “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 attorney later acknowledged that presidents lack authority over state charges.
However, Reddington suggested commentary carries weight, noting “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”.
Offering his view on the lawyer, Trump stated he heard Reddington is a “very good attorney”.
Regarding resolution of the case, Trump remarked, “I hope they can work something out,” adding “that’s something they have to work out”.
The prosecution follows the 2023 strangulation deaths of three children in Massachusetts.
The 36-year-old mother was charged in the deaths of her children, Cora, Callan, and Dawson.
Defense lawyers argued at trial that Clancy suffered from severe postpartum psychosis.
The trial ended Sept. 4 after a holdout juror refused to find her not guilty.
If retried and found not guilty by insanity, Clancy will spend years in a mental hospital.