The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is pressing the new U.S. pardon attorney for more details about President Trump’s recent pardons, claiming the traditional system of applying for clemency has been replaced with “favors to the President’s loyal followers and most generous donors.”
In a letter to newly appointed pardon attorney Ed Martin, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland asked Martin to “explain the criteria and process” he and his office have used to vet recent pardons by Mr. Trump.
Dozens of people were pardoned this week, including a number of convicted fraudsters, adding to a series of pardons for convicted white-collar criminals in his second term. In some cases, the administration has said pardon recipients were unfairly targeted for being Trump supporters.
This week’s pardon recipients include reality TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley, convicted on bank fraud and tax evasion charges; former Rep. Michael Grimm, who pleaded guilty to tax fraud and related charges; and former Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins, convicted on fraud and bribery charges. Trump also commuted the sentence of one of Chicago’s most infamous gangsters and a rapper convicted of felony gun charges.
Some pardon recipients this term — and their family members — have expressed support for Mr. Trump. Electric truck entrepreneur Trevor Milton, who was pardoned on securities fraud charges, donated hundreds of thousands to a pro-Trump committee last year. And the mother of Paul Walczak, who was pardoned last month on tax charges, has helped raise money for Mr. Trump and recently attended a $1 million-a-plate fundraiser, The New York Times reported.
Raskin wrote in his letter that “it at least appears that you are using the Office of the Pardon Attorney to dole out pardons as favors to the President’s loyal political followers and most generous donors, completely ignoring and abandoning the thousands of individual applications for clemency in the normal process.”
Typically, pardon applications are submitted by those seeking reprieve to the U.S. pardon attorney’s office for a review on the merits of their case. Pardon decisions are ultimately up to the president, but in the past, the Justice Department has said it weighs whether an applicant has taken responsibility for their actions and waited at least five years since their conviction or release from prison, among other factors.
“None of the cases you have recommended to date appears to have satisfied these standards. Instead, it appears the Administration has abruptly changed the criteria for granting presidential pardons and commutations,” Raskin continued.
“The new criteria for granting pardons appear to be: showing absolute personal and political loyalty to President Trump; giving substantial financial contributions to MAGA and the President’s political network; and engaging in forms of political corruption and violence that promote MAGA power and authoritarianism,” the lawmaker said.
When asked about Raskin’s letter, a Justice Department spokesperson told CBS News, “I assume Raskin must have also sent a letter to Biden’s family after receiving blanket pardons?” The spokesperson also included a snippet from a CNN interview with Raskin in which he declined to specify whether he supports former President Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter.
The president’s power to pardon people for federal crimes — granted by the Constitution — is virtually limitless. Mr. Trump has used his pardoning power extensively in this term, drawing criticism for giving out pardons to virtually all those convicted of crimes during the Jan. 6 riot.
In addition to the pardons already finalized, Mr. Trump said he would “take a look at” pardoning a group of men charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer when pressed by reporters this week. Martin has discussed pardon applications for some of the only remaining Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendants who weren’t given full clemency by Mr. Trump, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.
Mr. Trump moved Martin to the Justice Department as associate deputy attorney general and pardon attorney after he failed to gain enough support in the Senate needed for confirmation as U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. The key role of pardon attorney typically advises the president on how to use his clemency power.
The president said Martin will also serve as director of the Justice Department’s “Weaponization Working Group,” a committee formed by Attorney General Pam Bondi to “review” the department’s Biden-era activities, including its investigations into Mr. Trump, Capitol rioters and others.
In a post on X this week, Martin wrote “No MAGA left behind” about the ongoing slate of pardons.