Political Favor Could Tarnish Schwarzenegger's Rep

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Arnold Schwarzenegger's post-gubernatorial career has been thrown into turmoil amid a furor over his decision to grant clemency in a manslaughter case to the son of a key ally.

Schwarzenegger cut the 16-year manslaughter sentence in half for 21-year-old Esteban Nunez just hours before leaving office. Nunez had pleaded guilty months earlier in the stabbing death of a student in 2008. The decision has angered law enforcement and the family of the victim and has led to proposed legislation that would take away a governor's last-minute clemency authority.

The decision also threatens to overshadow the former governor's legacy as a budget-minded reformer and big-thinking environmental steward.

Schwarzenegger noted that Nunez had no prior criminal record before the fight and that Nunez was not the one who stabbed the victim.