Thank you for signing the petition "Call an Investigation into Allegations of Prosecutorial & Judicial Misconduct in the Case of Sholom Rubashkin." We appreciate your participation in the We the People platform on WhiteHouse.gov.…
Various Chabad and haredi sites have the following text of a response from the White House to the petition to investigate the prosecution of convicted fraudster Sholom Rubashkin:
Why We Can't Comment
Thank you for signing the petition "Call an Investigation into Allegations of Prosecutorial & Judicial Misconduct in the Case of Sholom Rubashkin." We appreciate your participation in the We the People platform on WhiteHouse.gov.As explained in the We the People Terms of Participation, the White House may at times decline to comment on certain specific matters properly within the jurisdiction of federal departments or agencies, federal courts, or state and local governments in its response to a petition. For important policy reasons, this includes specific law enforcement and judicial ethics matters. With respect to law enforcement matters, the Department of Justice is charged with investigating crime and enforcing our laws. The Department also has mechanisms in place to investigate allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, including through its Office of Professional Responsibility. With respect to judicial ethics matters, the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act of 1980 vests primary responsibility for investigating and adjudicating claims of judicial misconduct with the Judicial Branch.
This petition calls for an investigation into allegations of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct in the case of Sholom Rubashkin and for action to correct the “gross injustice” in his case. For the reasons given above, the White House declines to comment on matters raised by this petition.
Let me put this into simple English for you.
The president can't get involved in specific legal cases because if he does, he prejudices their outcomes.
It's civics and law 101 – which is why so few Chabadniks and haredim understand it.
All the White House can potentially do is commute Rubashkin's sentence or pardon him – after the appeals process is over.
And he'll only do the latter if he doesn't read Rubashkin's DOJ file.
[Hat Tip: Rebbitzman.]