Elm Ave Town Park

Back in the 1960s there was a folk ground known as Peter, Paul and Mary. They sung many folk songs, some quite politically controversial like If I Had A Hammer and This Land is Your Land. Half a century later, it seems almost absurd that these folk songs and the bands that played would have received extensive FBI surveillance.

But the FBI had it’s reasons at the time – these songs were often first sung by socialists, many of whom actively advocated and in some cases engaged to violence including bombings in an attempt to overthrow the American government. Some in the New Left like the Weathermen and the Black Panthers where taking up the mantle of violence against the government even as Peter, Paul and Mary sung their folk songs.

In 1969, Peter, Paul and Mary released a children’s album, Peter, Paul and Mommy. Shortly thereafter, in an attempt to suppress the freedom of speech and break up the music group, the FBI set up a sting operation against Peter Yarrow who was known inside circles to enjoy groupies – young girls brought to the members of popular bands to provide sexual gratification.

As the story goes in 1970, Peter Yarrow was in a bugged motel room when the 14-year old informant who crossed state lines went in, and Mr. Yarrow unbuckled his pants and masterbated in front of the underage girl. He was immediately arrested and ultimately served a few years in prison for transporting an underage girl across state lines for a sexual act. Not an uncommon practice at the time for music groups – lest the term groupie and the arrest of other singers like Jonathan King on similar charges, nevertheless was a serious crime that hurt minors and was justified to be charged and punished for his actions.

Peter Paul and Mary would be broken up, trying their best to downplay the arrest of their member while still selling their children’s record. They would not rejoin together until 1977, a half decade after Yarrow got out of prison and had received extensive mental health treatment. Yarrow went on to become an advocate against childhood bullying and many of the group’s post 1977 songs were for children.

There really is no question that Peter Yarrow committed a serious crime against a child and that he was punished and deserved to be. Ultimately, President Jimmy Carter pardoned him on his way out the door. The evidence suggests that was a sound decision even if it was the only time in American history when the president pardoned a person for a sex offense against a child. Peter Yarrow has done much good since they terrible act a half century ago.

That was fifty years ago. More then two generations prior. Donald Trump’s criminal cases filed against him brings us to today. I think it’s hard to argue that Donald Trump wasn’t targeted by the FBI both during his presidency but especially thereafter post January 6th uprising. A lot of FBI members and police more generally take their roll in protecting the country and it’s democracy very seriously and the former president’s actions most certainly raised alarm in the minds of many lawmen just like Peter, Paul and Mary’s songs did to a prior generation in the FBI.

The FBI, or more likely many members of the FBI felt that Donald Trump was a threat to the country and his actions warranted surveillance. Likewise, the FBI and the federal prosecutor were looking for things to charge the former president with, especially after January 6th. The former president had several chances to return stolen classified, national security documents but failed to and lied to investigators. These are serious offenses, though had the former president voluntarily returned the documents chances are he could have avoided prosecution and it would have been maybe a fine or violation of the law rather than a serious felony.

What the president did was a serious offense and he should be prosecuted and quite possibly sent to jail for a while, and be mandated to pay a significant fine. It’s not like he didn’t have a chance to go down this road, but justice demands he be treated like every other criminal. Donald Trump’s service to the country as president and other good acts over the years should be taken into consideration during his sentencing.

Likewise it should be up to a future president to decide if a pardon is warranted in the sake of justice, weighting both the former president’s actions, his good deeds both before and after his criminal acts, and the way the FBI targeted him. A pardon never erases or undoes a crime but it releases a person from any further punishment and resets the slate going forward. Would such a pardon be justified? Only time will tell.