Not good:

Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old man wanted for questioning in the killing of four Lakewood police officers Sunday morning, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.

His criminal history includes at least five felony convictions in Arkansas and at least eight felony charges in Washington. That record also stands out for the number of times Clemmons has been released from custody despite questions about the danger he posed.

Mike Huckabee, while governor of Arkansas, granted clemency to Clemmons nine years ago, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.

Huckabee has already released a statement distancing himself from Clemmons, but that will only do so much.

Anytime a president or a governor uses their power to grant a pardon, commutation or clemency, they risk the political fallout and bear at least some responsibility should the individual they set free end up committing more crimes.

The issue of pardoning criminals swirled lightly around Huckabee during the 2008 race with the case of Wayne Dumond. Now, the case of Maurice Clemmons wil assuredly hang heavy over Huckabee should he decide to run again.

--------------------------------------------
Follow the RCP Blog on Twitter.
Become a fan of RCP on Facebook.
--------------------------------------------