Paid brokers tout ties to Trump's orbit to lobby for presidential pardons

Reporting cited here

1. reported

   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.

   Transcript lines describing the $300,000 quote, proposed expenses and pressure strategy

   Hidden camera records a $300,000 pardon-access pitch · Pitch recorded; Covino was acting with CBS and did not retain the brokers

2. reported

   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.

   Interview, payment, failure to obtain clemency and contract dispute

   Boosie Badazz reports paying $600,000 for a pardon effort that did not produce clemency · No pardon; refund dispute in arbitration

3. reported

   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.

   Broadcast discussion of routing percentages and denials

   CBS finds most second-term Trump clemency actions were not routed through the Justice Department · CBS analysis published; White House and former pardon attorney disputed a transactional system

4. documented

   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.

   Recorded $300,000 pitch, $600,000 reported payment, DOJ routing analysis and official responses

   Clemency advocacy — fees, access pitches and DOJ routing · Congressional oversight announced; payment disputes and legal questions remain unresolved