Trump clemency advocacy: six-figure fees, DOJ routing and investigations
What happened
legal statusalleged A partially unsealed federal-court order described a Justice Department investigation into an alleged secret lobbying scheme and a related bribery conspiracy in which a substantial political contribution would be offered in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve. The public order redacted the people involved and did not identify Trump or any government official as a subject or target.
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia: Partial unsealing order in matter 20-gj-352020-12-01 · Order pages 2–5 and 17–18: alleged schemes, crime-fraud review and redacted identities
actionreported The New York Times reported a first-term market in which Trump associates collected fees to press clemency requests outside the ordinary Justice Department channel. Disclosures showed Brett Tolman received $22,500 to seek clemency for Ross Ulbricht, while an agreement paid former Trump campaign adviser Karen Giorno $50,000 to seek John Kiriakou's pardon and promised another $50,000 if she obtained it. The report said Kiriakou was not pardoned and stated that paid clemency advocacy was legal absent an exchange with the president.
- The New York Times: Prospect of Pardons in Final Days Fuels Market to Buy Access to Trump2021-01-17 · Reported engagements, disclosed fees, Kiriakou agreement and legal boundary
payerdocumented Cove Strategies reported $750,000 in fourth-quarter 2020 income from Parker H. Petit for work that included a pardon request and other criminal-justice policy issues, with the Executive Office of the President as the only listed contacted office. Axios reported that Matt Schlapp led the firm and that Petit did not receive a pardon.
- U.S. Lobbying Disclosure Act database: Cove Strategies fourth-quarter 2020 report for Parker H. Petit2021-01-21 · LD-2 income, issue description and contacted office
- Axios: Trump ally Matt Schlapp got $750,000 in unsuccessful pardon push2021-01-22 · Reported firm leadership, two-week engagement and unsuccessful outcome
payerestimate Campaign Legal Center reports nearly $5.2 million in disclosed 2025 payments from clients seeking Trump clemency. This is lobbying expenditure, not money paid to the president, and excludes undisclosed advocacy.
- Campaign Legal Center: Inside the Pardon Playbook: An Analysis of President Trump's Clemency Abuses2026-03-12 · Brokered Pardons section, final paragraph
Context and limitations
CLC's nearly $5.2 million is a rounded aggregate of disclosed 2025 clemency-related lobbying payments, not an independently reproduced exact sum or an estimate of undisclosed spending.
payerdocumented MO Strategies' Q1 2026 lobbying report for Blessinger Legal lists $500,000 in income. The issue description covers immigration and pardon-related discussions; the Executive Office of the President and Department of Justice are listed as contacted entities. The filing names Martin Obst and Robert Goad as lobbyists and identifies Goad's former covered position as Special Assistant to the President.
- U.S. Lobbying Disclosure Act database: MO Strategies Q1 2026 report for Blessinger Legal2026-05-24 · LD-2 report: reporting period, line 12 income, issue description, lobbyists and contacted government entities.
payerdocumented J M Burkman & Associates reported $960,000 in second-quarter 2025 income from Joseph Schwartz for work described as a federal pardon and related Justice Department matters. The report names Jack Burkman as the lobbyist and lists the Executive Office of the President as a contacted entity.
- U.S. Lobbying Disclosure Act database: J M Burkman & Associates second-quarter 2025 report for Joseph Schwartz2025-07-18 · LD-2 lines 12–19: income, issue description, lobbyist and contacted entity
actiondocumented The Justice Department's clemency roster records Trump's November 14, 2025 pardon of Joseph Schwartz. The filing establishes the fee and advocacy; the timing does not by itself establish that Trump received the money or exchanged the pardon for it.
- U.S. Department of Justice: Clemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump, 2025 to PresentNovember 14, 2025 clemency grants, Joseph Schwartz row
- CBS News: Pardon brokers offer to put pressure on the president, at sky-high costs2026-09-13 · Schwartz fee, sentence and pardon chronology
promisereported CBS News recorded Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl quoting Ammon Covino $300,000 and describing a campaign of events, influencers, members of Congress and White House contacts intended to put sustained pressure on Trump. Covino was working with CBS; he did not hire or pay them, and no pardon resulted from the recorded pitch.
- CBS News: Pardon brokers offer to put pressure on the president, at sky-high costs2026-09-13 · Hidden-camera setup and brokers' response
- CBS News / 60 Minutes: Paid brokers tout ties to Trump's orbit to lobby for presidential pardons2026-09-13 · Transcript lines describing the $300,000 quote, proposed expenses and pressure strategy
payerreported Torence Hatch, known as Boosie Badazz, told 60 Minutes he paid Burkman and Wohl $600,000 up front after being led to believe the effort would obtain a pardon. Trump did not pardon him. CBS reported that Hatch filed an arbitration claim seeking a refund; Burkman said no final written agreement was signed, denied owing a refund, and he and Wohl denied sending cited text messages.
- CBS News: Pardon brokers offer to put pressure on the president, at sky-high costs2026-09-13 · Arbitration claim and brokers' responses
- CBS News / 60 Minutes: Paid brokers tout ties to Trump's orbit to lobby for presidential pardons2026-09-13 · Interview, payment, failure to obtain clemency and contract dispute
outcomereported CBS News reported that about 70% of Trump's second-term clemency actions had not been routed through the Justice Department process, rising to 92% when January 6 cases were included. CBS also reported broker fees as high as $3 million and quoted Brett Tolman saying he expected to handle 40 or 50 clemency cases. The White House said it had a robust review process and that paying lobbyists was a waste of money; former pardon attorney Ed Martin said he had not seen a quid pro quo.
- CBS News: Pardon brokers offer to put pressure on the president, at sky-high costs2026-09-13 · DOJ-routing analysis, reported fee range, Tolman account and official responses
- CBS News / 60 Minutes: Paid brokers tout ties to Trump's orbit to lobby for presidential pardons2026-09-13 · Broadcast discussion of routing percentages and denials
legal statusreported House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin and other Democratic lawmakers said they planned to investigate the pardon-broker market if their party gained subpoena power. CBS reported that the committee's minority status left it unable to compel records or testimony at the time. The announcement is an oversight plan, not a criminal charge or adjudication.
- CBS News: Top Democrats pledge investigation into Trump pardon brokers if party regains control of Congress2026-09-14 · September 14 statements, proposed scope and present subpoena limitation
limitationreported AP identified Nass as a lobbyist who had worked for Joseph Schwartz, whom Trump pardoned. AP separately reported the new attempted-extortion charge; the unnamed alleged extortion victims are not identified here as Schwartz or his relatives.
- Associated Press: A pardon lobbyist, $500,000 demand and alleged enforcer lead to extortion charge in New York2026-03-14 · March 14 report: pardon-lobbying background and unnamed victims in new complaint.
Amounts and affected parties
feeReported 2025 clemency lobbying payments (approximate)Nearly $5.2 million - Reported fee payer / source
- Clients seeking Trump clemency with disclosed 2025 lobbying payments
- Reported fee recipient
- Lobbying firms and advocates named in the cited disclosures
- Financially affected
- Clients whose clemency-related lobbying payments were disclosed for 2025
feeBurkman-Wohl fee quoted to Covino$300,000 - Reported fee payer / source
- Ammon Covino (prospective payer; no payment)
- Reported fee recipient
- Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl (quoted brokers)
otherReported clemency-broker fee ceiling$3 million - Measured subject
- Clemency seekers quoted broker fees
feeReported Tolman fee for Ulbricht clemency advocacy$22,500 - Fee recipient
- Brett Tolman
- Financially affected
- Ross Ulbricht clemency advocacy
feeMO Strategies Q1 2026 lobbying income$500,000.00 - Fee payer / source
- Blessinger Legal
- Fee recipient
- MO Strategies
feeReported Kiriakou pardon retainer$50,000 - Fee payer / source
- John Kiriakou
- Fee recipient
- Karen Giorno
commitmentReported contingent Kiriakou pardon bonus$50,000 - Committed by / source
- John Kiriakou
- Committed toward / intended recipient
- Karen Giorno
feeCove Strategies reported income from Petit$750,000 - Fee payer / source
- Parker H. Petit
- Fee recipient
- Cove Strategies
feeReported Schwartz lobbying payment$960,000 - Fee payer / source
- Joseph Schwartz
- Fee recipient
- J M Burkman & Associates
feeHatch's reported upfront payment$600,000 - Reported fee payer / source
- Torence Hatch
- Reported fee recipient
- Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl
People and organizations
- Clemency applicants using the Justice Department channelaffected party
- Joseph Schwartzbeneficiary
- Paid pardon brokers and lobbying firmsbeneficiary
- Torence Hatchpayer
Assessment
Paid advocacy directed at Trump's clemency process is documented across both administrations. First-term records include a $750,000 engagement that did not produce a pardon and retainers or contingent fees charged by Trump-connected advocates. In the second term, a lobbying filing recorded $960,000 from Joseph Schwartz before Trump pardoned him; CBS recorded a separate $300,000 pitch, documented a disputed $600,000 payment for an unsuccessful effort, and found that about 70 percent of second-term clemency actions were not routed through the Justice Department channel, or 92 percent including January 6 cases. A 2020 federal order described a separate alleged bribery-for-pardon investigation, and lawmakers have announced further oversight plans. These records document recurring paid clemency advocacy and disclosed six-figure fees. They do not establish that Trump received the brokers' fees or prove a criminal quid pro quo by Trump.