Democrats vow to investigate Trump pardon brokers if party controls Congress

Senior Democratic lawmakers vowed Monday to investigate the new market that has sprung up around President Trump's pardons, citing CBS News video of lobbyists offering to "put pressure on the president" in exchange for a hefty fee from a convicted felon.

"They've basically converted the president's pardon power into a for-profit industry," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. He added that Democrats are "looking at everybody along the assembly line of clemency for cash."

The video appeared as part of a 60 Minutes investigative report Sunday that chronicled the rise of a lucrative "pardon broker" cottage industry operating around Mr. Trump's White House. The report highlighted how lobbyists and brokers are charging felons up to millions of dollars to sidestep the traditional Justice Department clemency process, using insider access and social media influencers to push presidential pardons.

CBS News used hidden cameras to expose how the pardon-broker industry operates. Ammon Covino, a convicted felon sentenced for illegally trafficking wildlife, contacted a number of pardon brokers, including the right-wing provocateurs and lobbyists Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl. Captured on video at a Virginia hotel, Burkman and Wohl promised to put a "pincer movement" on the president, for a $300,000 fee. They said they would apply continuous pressure through White House insiders and MAGA influencers rather than go through the traditional process.

Burkman and Wohl rejected the suggestion that they are part of a pay-to-play marketplace, saying they are lobbyists operating within the law. A White House spokesperson said the administration has a robust review process involving the White House counsel's office, the Justice Department and the pardon czar, with Mr. Trump as the final decider, and said anyone paying to lobby for a pardon is wasting money

Ed Martin, who served as the Justice Department's pardon attorney until leaving the administration on Sept. 4, denied the existence of a transactional pardon economy in an interview with 60 Minutes.

"When people say 'there's brokers, there's quid pro quo,' I've never seen it. I haven't seen it. I haven't heard it," Martin said.

The CBS News investigation laid out how the traditional Justice Department clemency process, which weighs remorse and rehabilitation, has been largely sidelined. A data analysis showed that roughly 70% of Trump's second-term clemency actions bypassed the traditional DOJ process entirely. Instead, prominent brokers like former U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah Brett Tolman said openly they submit petitions directly to the White House, advising clients that waiting on the Justice Department offers little chance of approval.

"It's kind of an underground market because not everybody knows how to get to it," Raskin said.