Pardon Brokers Offer to "Put Pressure on the President," at Sky-High Costs
CBS says brokers charged up to $3 million and urged applicants to bypass Justice Department review by pressing the president directly.
- A CBS News investigation for 60 Minutes has uncovered a growing business of pardon brokers claiming they can help clients gain access to President Donald Trump's clemency process, with fees reaching as high as $3 million.
- Traditionally, clemency applications were reviewed by the Justice Department, but that process has been largely sidelined under President Trump; about 70% of his second-term actions—rising to 92% including Jan. 6 cases—bypassed standard review.
- Undercover footage shows lobbyists Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl pitching a "pincer movement" strategy to a prospective client, promising to pressure the president from multiple directions for a $300,000 fee.
- White House spokesperson Lauren Bis rejected claims of a "pay-to-play" marketplace, stating the administration maintains a "robust pardon review process" and that anyone paying brokers is "foolishly wasting their money."
- Law professor Mark Osler warns this industry undermines the system, noting that while clemency is meant to be a "benign prerogative," access now increasingly depends on wealth and political connections rather than remorse.
13 Articles
13 Articles
60 Minutes Investigates: Pardon Brokers Cash In on Access to Trump
WASHINGTON (VINnews) — A CBS News investigation for “60 Minutes” has uncovered a growing business of pardon brokers who claim they can help clients gain access to President Donald Trump’s clemency process — with fees reaching as high as $3 million. The investigation took CBS News inside a world where political connections, influential intermediaries and […]
Ex-Trump insider claps back after ‘pardon brokers’ secretly caught on camera
Former White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson has denied a new report that follows “pardon brokers” appearing to help an individual receive clemency from President Donald Trump.
Brokers charging up to Rs 28 crore — for pardon from Trump White House: Report
The investigation centred on an August meeting at the bar of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia, where lobbyists Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl met Ammon Covino, a convicted felon, and his wife, Crystal.
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