Inside the Pardon Playbook: An Analysis of President Trump's Clemency Abuses

Reporting cited here

1. estimate

   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.

   Brokered Pardons section, final paragraph

   CLC reports nearly $5.2 million in 2025 clemency lobbying payments · Reported aggregate of disclosed lobbying payments