Suffolk County Legislators to Trump: Don't Pardon Spota

Suffolk County legislative leaders are urging President Donald Trump to reject any request for executive clemency from former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and former Chief of the District Attorney's Anti-Corruption Bureau Christopher McPartland, saying a pardon would undermine accountability and years of work to restore public confidence in government.

Presiding Officer Anthony A. Piccirillo sent a formal letter to the White House on July 23, joined by members of the Legislature's Republican majority.

The lawmakers publicly announced the request during a Friday news conference in Hauppauge.

The appeal follows reports that Spota and McPartland have sought presidential pardons after their convictions stemming from the federal investigation into former Suffolk Police Chief James Burke's assault of handcuffed prisoner Christopher Loeb and the subsequent cover-up.

In 2019, a federal jury convicted both men of conspiracy, witness tampering, obstruction of justice and related charges.

They were each sentenced to five years in federal prison in 2021, and their convictions were later upheld on appeal.

"Thomas Spota and Christopher McPartland were entrusted with enforcing the law and protecting the integrity of our justice system," Piccirillo said. "Instead, they abused that trust, undermined confidence in our institutions, and damaged the public's faith in government. Granting clemency would send the wrong message—that powerful public officials are held to a different standard than everyone else."

In his letter to Trump, Piccirillo wrote that presidential pardon authority "has been used to correct injustices, extend mercy, and recognize extraordinary circumstances. In my view, however, this is not one of those cases."

He added that Suffolk County residents "deserve to know that everyone is accountable under the law, regardless of title or influence."

"I respectfully ask that you consider the lasting impact these events had on our community and deny any request for executive clemency submitted on behalf of Thomas Spota and Christopher McPartland," Piccirillo wrote.