Booker Introduces Bill to Combat Trump’s Pardons for Sale Scheme

WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced the Presidential Pardon Integrity Act, a bill to combat the abuse of the pardon power to reward political allies and campaign donors at the expense of crime victims and American taxpayers. The legislation would deter the corrupt practice of "pardons for sale" by requiring those who buy and sell pardons to disclose their financial ties and contacts with officials, protecting victims' right to restitution, and insulating the Pardon Attorney from political pressure.

"This President claims to punish the 'worst of the worst' yet pardons people convicted of serious crimes because they are his political allies, large campaign donors, or have corporate and financial ties to him and his family. It doesn't matter whether they have taken responsibility for their offenses. This hypocrisy undermines the integrity of the pardon power and denies victims the justice they deserve," said Senator Booker. "Pay-for-play pardons that allow political operators to sell pardons to the highest bidder, or the deep-pocketed to write campaign checks, or those willing to commit violence to benefit the President to dodge accountability must be stopped. I am proud to introduce this legislation to combat the abuse of presidential power and ensure the public knows exactly who is benefitting from this corrupt scheme."

In August, House Democrats on the Committee on the Judiciary released a report exposing MAGA's cash-for-clemency scheme, under which Trump has sidelined the traditional role of the Office of Pardon Attorney in evaluating clemency petitions on their merits in favor of dispensing pardons to his political supporters, business executives, billionaires, and corrupt politicians. According to a CBS News report, roughly 70% of Mr. Trump's second-term clemency actions bypassed the traditional DOJ process entirely. Another CBS News report details how, in the absence of a traditional clemency petition review process, a pay-to-play cottage industry has sprung up, populated by former Trump campaign and administration officials who trade on their proximity to the MAGA world and charge clemency petitioners exorbitant fees for access. Under this cash-for-clemency regime, Trump has forgiven an astounding $1.7 billion in fines, forfeitures, and restitution that clemency recipients should have paid back to victims and taxpayers before they were pardoned.

To restore integrity to the pardon process and combat the corrupt practice of "pardons for sale," the Presidential Pardon Integrity Act would:

• Codify the Office of Pardon Attorney to restore objective evaluation of clemency petitions;
• Ensure the Pardon Attorney remains a non-political, career position;
• Allow crime victims to sue the offenders who harmed them for restitution even after a pardon
• Require the Pardon Attorney to disclose to Congress all documentation in the clemency petition process for all clemency grants to increase transparency;
• Expose pay-to-play pardons by requiring clemency recipients to disclose whether they provided any benefits to the President, his family, or their businesses, a Cabinet member, or a member of Congress to secure clemency; and
• Uncover the pardon broker industry by requiring anyone who was paid to secure clemency for a petitioner to register and report their contacts with Administration officials related to that petition.

The full text of the bill can be found here.