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Pardon, Me? Toussie!

Bush can't even do this....oh..nevermind... Questions continued to swirl Thursday over the president's decision to withdraw a pardon for a New York d

Bush can't even do this....oh..nevermind...

Questions continued to swirl Thursday over the president's decision to withdraw a pardon for a New York developer involved in a Long Island mortgage fraud scheme. Isaac Toussie, 36, was convicted in 2001 of mail fraud and of making false statements to the Department of Housing and Urban Development that stemmed from the mortgage scheme.

The White House initially announced the pardon Tuesday afternoon, immediately setting off a firestorm of criticism from angry homeowners and investors, as well as government watchdog organizations quick to note Toussie's ties to prominent Republican officeholders.

Among the questions now being asked are:

• Why didn't the White House conduct a more thorough investigation of Toussie's background?

• Why did White House Counsel Fred Fielding circumvent the typical pardon application process by directly considering Toussie's clemency request instead of leaving it to the Justice Department?

• Did Toussie get special treatment because of his political connections? 

On MSNBC, Wingnut Republican Ron Christie was just very happy that Bush got it right at the end after initially granting the pardon.

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