‘Honest’ and ‘Abe’ are 2015 turkeys pardoned by President Obama

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Barack Obama, Jihad Douglas, Abe
In this Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2015 file photo, National Turkey Federation Chairman Jihad Douglas watches at right as President Barack Obama pardons National Thanksgiving Turkey Abe, during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Obama’s pardoning of a turkey named “Abe” this Thanksgiving has led some Chinese to gloat at the Japanese prime minister’s expense. As part of a peculiar annual tradition at the White House, Obama on Wednesday granted amnesty from the dinner table to two turkeys named “Honest” and “Abe” — from the nickname for President Abraham Lincoln. But a translation glitch in Chinese media replaced the character for single-syllable “Abe” with the surname of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (pronounced “Ah-bay”). (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

For the seventh time in as many years, President Barack Obama pardoned the national turkey. Check out the video and timeline of presidential turkey pardons. 

In the Rose Garden on Wednesday afternoon, a turkey named “Abe” was officially pardoned by the president.

The turkey will live out his days in leisure on a turkey farm with a turkey barn named the White House.

The next in the line of succession, a turkey named “Honest”, was held in an undisclosed location for his own protection.

Should “Abe” not be able to serve his official duties, “Honest” would step in as the next turkey in line of succession.

Both Honest and Abe are 18-week-old, 40 pound turkeys.

The turkey pardon tradition dates back President Harry Truman who pardoned a turkey in 1947.

President Obama was accompanied by his two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

Obama thanked them during the ceremony “for once again standing here with me during the turkey pardoning … They do this solely because it makes me feel good – not because they actually think that this is something I should be doing.”

Story from The Associated Press.

Timeline of Presidential Turkey History