Presidential pardoning power has been part of the United States government since the first president. While most pardons are vetted through the Department of Justice, there is no set process required.
Friends, political allies, and family members have been pardoned by past presidential administrations. Many pardons have been controversial.
MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's pardons have drawn backlash. Shortly after beginning his second term, Trump pardoned all of the insurrectionists who attacked the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, despite the deaths of at least five people, injuries to over 150 members of law enforcement, and millions of dollars in damages.
Other pardons were believed to be influenced by political donations—a frequent criticism against most presidential administrations—or personal enrichment of Trump or his family, a criticism that seems to dog the POTUS for almost all his actions.
CBS News' 60 Minutes recently did a hidden camera exposé on the business of pardon brokering, where lobbyists sell their access to Trump to gain pardons—an activity that is unethical, but not illegal. Known conspiracy theorists, political agitators, Trump loyalists, and known grifters Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman were caught on camera engaging in pardon brokering.
60 Minutes shared a clip from their footage on X.
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom called out the Trump administration on social media for allegedly taking payments for pardons.
He reposted the clip captioned:
"A little louder for the people in the back: The Trump Administration is the most corrupt administration in the history of the United States."
Newsom wasn't alone in condemning the Trump administration's corruption.
Many recognized Wohl from his previous grifts.
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The Trump administration told 60 Minutes:
"Anyone spending money to lobby for pardons is foolishly wasting their money. President Trump performs his constitutional duties in an ethically sound manner, and to suggest so otherwise is either ill-informed or malicious."
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