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Gen. Bolduc: Men like Evan were not given the fair trial they deserved

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From left, Brigadier Gen. Don Bolduc, ret; Evan Liberty holding his pardon papers shortly after his release and U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan. (Bolduc, Liberty courtesy/Hassan NH Business Review)

STRATHAM - A candidate for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Maggie Hassan is pushing back against comments she made to The Rochester Voice about President Trump's pardon of a Rochester man and former Blackwater guard imprisoned in the 2007 Nisour Square incident in Iraq.

Hassan was asked for a comment on the presidential pardon of Rochester native Evan Liberty after the city's observance of Memorial Day at the Common, but refused to answer, adding that she would have to craft a response with staff before submitting it.

A reply sent earlier this month stated: "When the U.S. engages in combat, we must ensure that we lead by example when it comes to wartime conduct. This protects our fighting men and women while also making a critical statement about America's values." Hassan also said she stood behind Liberty's 2014 conviction in a DC court.

Don Bolduc, a retired brigadier general and candidate for the Senate seat now occupied by Hassan, said her remarks are typical of Beltway politicians who know absolutely nothing about being in a war zone.

"I know what it's like to operate in this type of environment and the asymmetrical threats that they face with IEDs (improvised explosive devices), car bombs and using people as human shields," Bolduc said today. "This puts our servicemen and our contractors in a difficult position, because they're in an environment where they are surrounded by enemies and the people they are supposed to protect."

In his first published interview in The Rochester Voice following his Dec. 22 release from a federal prison in Pennsylvania, Liberty said what people read about him and his fellow Raven 23 comrades in mainstream media is just not the truth.

I dispute that," he said. "If they collect all the facts they would change. We (fellow former Blackwater guards Paul Slough, Dustin Heard and Nicholas Slatten who were also pardoned) were very deserving of a pardon, and we were convicted of something we didn't do. It's lazy journalism. They (the media) like to spread that narrative painting Blackwater as the bad guy."

Bolduc said today that the blame for what happened to Liberty and Raven 23 can be placed squarely on the backs of career politicians who care more about toeing the line than justice and the safety of our troops.

"Because of career politicians and a divisive political system. instead of justice being served this whole situation was politicized, and men like Evan were not given the fair trial they deserved; President Trump's pardon was not only prudent but justified," he said. "The sad thing is how we broke ranks with those that we send to defend our nation and their families only to empower our enemies."

Bolduc served 10 tours in Afghanistan, earning two awards for valor, five Bronze Star medals and two Purple Hearts. He led one of the first groups in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks. He lost to Republican Corky Messner in the 2020 Senate primary, but has already announced he is running for the U.S. Senate again in 2022.

For her part, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has refused all comment on Liberty since The Rochester Voice first asked for comment on his 2019 resentencing in June of that year. In fact, Shaheen unbelievably said at a Lydall groundbreaking event in Rochester last summer that she'd never heard of Evan Liberty, a fact many Washington insiders said doesn't even pass "the smell test" since she's been in the Senate since 2009 and lives in nearby Madbury.

1st District Representative Chris Pappas had also refused any comment on Liberty's imprisonment until this Memorial Day when - pressed by The Voice - he called it "a step forward."

To read Liberty's pardon story of Dec. 23 click here

To read Liberty's interview story in Q&A format click here

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