President Donald Trump's pardons are developing into an economy of their own, according to a new report from Notus.
One Notus source described the process as a “'what has that person done for me lately’ type of situation.” But there is another option — and it’s costly.
“Every day, people close to the [pardon] process say, there are new names of those who have gotten into the pardon business and new rumors of exorbitant fees being offered or requested,” the outlet said.
Notus claimed that fees can reach seven figures, as close Trump allies try to “leverage their connections to the administration and the president himself in exchange for the promise of expedited applications.”
The White House denied that people around Trump are trying to use their positions to make money. Instead, a White House official told Notus, “Lawyers making money isn’t breaking news.”
“You can’t put a price on giving people a second chance, and those that are in charge of pardons won’t be swayed by rich lawyers,” the official added. “They’re really focused on the case itself.”
One person told the outlet that a $5 million deal was made to help with receiving a pardon. Paraphrasing another source, Notus said attorneys have asked “for an upfront fee to start their lobbying and another fee if the pardon is approved.”
Pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson said Trump doesn’t just wave his hands to make a pardon happen.
“He has the full authority to bring cases, but they still have to be vetted totally,” Johnson told Notus. “There’s not a time that a case is not vetted.”
But the pardon market for attorneys is growing, a source told Notus attorneys who have gotten pardons, “for their clients, or themselves, say that they’ve seen a heightened sense of 'desperation' to get connected with someone who could help.”
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who received a pardon from Trump in his first term, is now helping others in getting a pardon from Trump. He told the outlet, “Let’s just say my phone doesn’t stop ringing.”