Kristian Mark Saucier (born 1986) is a former U.S. Navy

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

who was convicted of unauthorized retention of national defense information and sentenced to one year in prison in October 2016 for taking photographs of classified engineering areas of USS ''Alexandria'' (SSN-757), a

nuclear-powered Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...

attack submarine An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants and merchant vessels. In the Soviet and Russian navies they were and are called "mul ...

, in 2009.Matt Zapotosky
Trump pardons former Navy sailor convicted of retaining submarine pictures in case that drew comparisons to Clinton
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. (March 9, 2018). Retrieved June 1, 2018. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

pardoned Saucier on March 9, 2018.

Early life

Saucier is a native of

Arlington, Vermont Arlington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,457 at the 2020 census. History The town of Arlington was chartered July 28, 1761, by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, as part of the New Hampshire ...

Crime and conviction

Saucier was a machinist's mate on board the submarine USS ''Alexandria'' from September 2007 to March 2012.U.S. Servicemember Who Took Illegal Photos Inside Nuclear Sub, Impeded Investigation, Sentenced to Prison
(press release), U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. (August 19, 2016). Retrieved June 1, 2018.Jennifer Rizzo and Laura Ly

''

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...

''. (August 19, 2016). Retrieved June 1, 2018. In 2009, Saucier took photographs of classified areas on the submarine while it was moored at

Naval Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary United States Navy East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in Groton, Connecticut directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New L ...

in Connecticut.Wyatt Olson
Trump pardons sailor convicted of photographing sub's nuclear propulsion system
'' Stars and Stripes''. (March 9, 2018). Retrieved June 1, 2018. The photographs showed components of the submarine

nuclear propulsion Nuclear propulsion includes a wide variety of propulsion methods that use some form of nuclear reaction as their primary power source. The idea of using nuclear material for propulsion dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1903 it was ...

system, including "various control panels, a panoramic view of the reactor compartment and a panel that showed the condition and exact location of the submarine at the time the photo was taken." FBI forensics showed that some of the photographs were taken at unusual hours, such as one photograph taken at 4 a.m. and others taken at 1:30 a.m. Personal electronic devices are prohibited aboard U.S. submarines owing to sensitive areas on board. In March 2012, Saucier left his phone at a waste transfer station (dump) in

Hampton, Connecticut Hampton is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,728 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and (1.96%) is water. Histo ...

, where the photographs were discovered by a supervisor.Julia Bergman
Trump pardons former Groton sailor in submarine photos case
'' The Day''. (March 9, 2018). Retrieved June 1, 2018. The supervisor contacted a retired Navy officer, who alerted the

Naval Criminal Investigative Service The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary law enforcement agency of the U.S. Department of the Navy. Its primary function is to investigate criminal activities involving the Navy and Marine Corps, though it ...

and

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

. The FBI said that after being interviewed by FBI agents, Saucier destroyed his camera and computer and disposed of their parts. At the time, Saucier held the rank of petty officer first class. Saucier was arrested in May 2015 and charged with unlawful retention of national defense information and

obstruction of justice Obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, is an act that involves unduly influencing, impeding, or otherwise interfering with the justice system, especially the legal and procedural tasks of prosecutors, investigators, or other gov ...

in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.Cristiano Lima
Trump pardons sailor in submarine photos case
''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and inter ...

''. (March 9, 2018). Retrieved June 1, 2018. In May 2016, he pleaded guilty to unlawful retention of national defense information. In August 2016, U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill sentenced Saucier to one year in federal prison. He was given an other-than-honorable discharge from the Navy.Lindsey Bever
Trump compared a Navy man's crime to Clinton's email scandal. Now that sailor wants a pardon.
''The Washington Post''. (January 26, 2017). Retrieved June 1, 2018. At sentencing, Saucier unsuccessfully argued for probation rather than imprisonment on the basis that

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...

was not indicted for her email controversy. Saucier's lawyers acknowledged that the two cases were different: Saucier admitted knowing that what he was doing was illegal. Judge Underhill rejected this argument as weak, but sentenced Saucier to one year in prison (rather than the five to seven years under the

Federal Sentencing Guidelines The United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines are rules published by the U.S. Sentencing Commission that set out a uniform policy for sentencing individuals and organizations convicted of felonies and serious (Class A) misdemeanors in the Uni ...

) because he determined Saucier to be "fundamentally...a good person" who had done a "beyond stupid" act. Saucier served his sentence at the Federal Medical Center, Devens. He was released from prison in September 2017.Ryan Lucas
Trump Pardons Ex-Navy Sailor Sentenced For Photos of Submarine
'' NPR''. (March 9, 2018). Retrieved June 1, 2018.

Pardon

Saucier’s family and others waged "an aggressive public campaign" for a presidential pardon. He was represented ''

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

'' by Ronald Daigle. Saucier requested a pardon in 2016 and 2017 but was denied a waiver needed to apply within five years of criminal sentencing. During his 2016 presidential election campaign, then-Republican-candidate

compared Saucier's situation to the

Hillary Clinton email controversy During her tenure as United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton drew controversy by using a private email server for official public communications rather than using official State Department email accounts maintained on federal server ...

, asserting that Clinton's treatment was lenient compared with Saucier's. In January 2018, Trump

tweeted Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

about "sailors pictures on submarine" , which was seen as a reference to Saucier. On February 20, 2018, the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney informed Saucier that his pardon request was being processed, despite previously refusing to issue a waiver. In early March 2018, Saucier appeared on ''

Fox & Friends ''Fox & Friends'' is an American daily morning news and talk program that airs on Fox News. It premiered on February 1, 1998, and is currently hosted by Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade on weekdays. Will Cain, Rachel Campos-Duf ...

'' and argued that he deserved to be pardoned. Trump pardoned Saucier on March 9, 2018. After issuing the pardon, Trump tweeted, "Congratulations to Kristian Saucier, a man who has served proudly in the Navy, on your newly found Freedom. Now you can go out and have the life you deserve!"

Lawsuit

In July 2018, Saucier filed a lawsuit against former President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, former

FBI Director The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a United States' federal law enforcement agency, and is responsible for its day-to-day operations. The FBI Director is appointed for a single ...

James Comey James Brien Comey Jr. (; born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until his dismissal in May 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his adul ...

, former U.S. Attorney General

Loretta Lynch Loretta Elizabeth Lynch (born May 21, 1959) is an American lawyer who served as the 83rd attorney general of the United States from 2015 to 2017. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to succeed Eric Holder and previously served as the Uni ...

, former

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

Deputy Director

Andrew McCabe Andrew George McCabe (born March 18, 1968) is an American attorney who served as the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from February 2016 to March 2018 and as the acting Director of the FBI from May 9, 2017, to Augu ...

, and others, claiming that he was selectively prosecuted, claiming that a

double standard A double standard is the application of different sets of principles for situations that are, in principle, the same. It is often used to describe treatment whereby one group is given more latitude than another. A double standard arises when two ...

exists that protected

in her email controversy, and seeking $20 million in damages. All of Saucier's claims were dismissed by a federal court by

U.S. District Judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district co ...

David N. Hurd in February 2019.
Saucier v. U.S. Dep't of Justice
', 1:18-cv-800 ( N.D.N.Y. Feb. 13, 2019).

References

External links