Several Republican senators challenged the credibility of former U.S. Pardon Attorney Elizabeth Oyer during a recent hearing, pointing to her role in the clemency granted to 37 death row inmates. Oyer, who served from April 2022 to March 2025, was fired by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a decision she claims was politically motivated.

Questioning Oyer’s Judgment

Senators Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt, and Chuck Grassley pressed Oyer over an internal memo from November 4, 2024, in which she recommended commuting the death sentences of 40 federal inmates. The senators highlighted several notorious cases, including that of Dylan Roof, who was convicted of murdering nine people at a church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Oyer’s recommendations were criticized for prioritizing the rights of convicted murderers over the victims’ families. Senator Schmitt stated, ‘You have no credibility to talk about Todd Blanche, you have none. You’ve come here, you deny basic facts. You recommended the commutation of murderers. You gave no quarter at all or any time to the victims of these brutal murders.’

The hearing also touched on Oyer’s recommendation to commute the death sentence of Robert Bowers, who was convicted of killing 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Senator Hawley asked Oyer if she was proud of her decision, to which she replied that she took her job as pardon attorney seriously.

Defending Her Actions

Oyer argued that all the death row inmates who received clemency will spend the rest of their lives behind bars, likely in maximum security prisons. However, the senators remained skeptical, questioning her judgment and commitment to justice.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.