Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in the state, appointed a supporter of a convicted murderer and extremist to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons earlier this year.
Celeste Trusty received Fetterman’s nod as secretary of the state board in January, according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
The political operative has expressed her “love” and support for convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, referring to him as her “buddy” in a 2018 tweet.
i love mumia! he’s my buddy, also he’s like an uncle to a bunch of my friends who were on the row with him. yup – philly is exceptionally bad. well…was. at least we have a good da now!
ugh alabama. so many southern states are terrible with cj issues.
Trusty even recounted sending Abu-Jamal a birthday message as she urged a prosecutor to review his case.
i sent mumia a birthday message this morning! i really hope the krasner dao will take mumia’s case more seriously than previous phila dao administrations. #freemumia
At the time, the organization embraced the use of violence with the ultimate plan to “overthrow the U.S. government,” according to FBI records.
As secretary of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, Trusty is responsible for “coordinating the daily operations of the Board of Pardons office and its dedicated team, as well as providing support, information, and advice to the Chair of the Board and Board members.”
Fetterman himself has indicated that releasing one-third of the state’s prison population “would not make anyone less safe in Pennsylvania.”
The Democrat proudly touts his work as chairman of Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons on his campaign website.
“Under John’s tenure, the Board has recommended more applicants for commutation than under any lieutenant governor in decades,” the site says.