Trump mulls pardon for boxing great Ali

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he is thinking “very seriously” about pardoning the late Muhammad Ali, an act of clemency that the boxer’s lawyer says is unnecessary because the Supreme Court overturned the heavyweight champion’s conviction in 1971.

For such future grants of presidential power, Trump said he may seek the recommendations of pro football players and other athletes who have protested racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem.

“I’m going to ask them to recommend to me people that were unfairly treated, friends of theirs or people that they know about, and I’m going to take a look at those applications,” he said.

The president said the athletes have “seen a lot of abuse” and “a lot of unfairness” and that he wants their input on his use of this executive power.

Speaking as he left the White House for a world leaders’ summit in Canada, Trump also said he’s considering thousands of additional pardons, including one for the boxing great.

“I’m thinking about somebody that you all know very well. And he went through a lot. And he wasn’t very popular then,” he said. “He certainly, his memory is very popular now.”

It was not clear why Trump cited Ali as in need of a pardon, given that Ali has no criminal record. The Supreme Court overturned his conviction for resisting the draft in 1971.

“We appreciate President Trump’s sentiment, but a pardon is unnecessary,” said Ron Tweel, Ali’s lawyer. Given the high court’s action, “there is no conviction from which a pardon is needed.”

Trump has been on a clemency kick, and earlier this week commuted the life sentence of a woman whose cause was championed by reality television star Kim Kardashian West.

Trump told reporters Friday his team is “looking at literally thousands of names” of people who have come to their attention because they’ve been treated unfairly or their sentences are too long.

“We have 3,000 names. We’re looking at them,” Trump said.

He did not offer any other names, but said in response to a reporter’s question that O.J. Simpson wasn’t on the list.

“The power to pardon is a beautiful thing,” Trump said.