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A hidden–camera operation caught two right–wing provocateurs and lobbyists pitching their services in the lucrative, emerging industry of brokers courting individuals looking for pardons from President Donald Trump.
asserted
operation → sign → Trump
Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl were filmed in conversation with a convicted felon at the bar inside the glitzy Ritz–Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia, last month.
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Burkman → film → Corner
Ammon Covino, an aquarium operator who spent almost two years behind bars for the illegal interstate transport of a shark and a stingray, was chatting to the pair with his wife, Crystal.
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who → spend → wife
Burkman and Wohl pitched a $300,000 package to help Covino secure a presidential pardon, a plan that involved enlisting influencers to publicly champion his cause.
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that → pitch → cause
They tout their connections and direct line to the President.
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They → tout → President
Explaining their strategy to the couple, Burkman remarked: 'With this particular White House, you have to put pressure on the President from all directions in a consistent way to force his hand.'
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you → explain → hand
Although Covino had taken the conventional route by mailing a completed petition to the Biden Justice Department, his bid was flatly turned down by Trump in July.
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bid → take → July
The refusal placed Covino among thousands of hopefuls whose requests were rejected in a single stroke as the administration sought to flush out its massive amount of clemency cases.
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administration → place → cases
Trump's exercise of executive clemency has followed a distinct strategy over the past 18 months.
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exercise → follow → months
Convicted felon Ammon Covino – an aquarium operator who spent almost two years behind bars for the illegal interstate transport of a shark and a stingray – and his wife, Crystal
Donald Trump signs numerous executive orders, including pardons for defendants from the January 6 riots and a delay on the TikTok ban, on the first day of his presidency last year
Ammon was offered a $300,000 package by two lobbyists to help secure a presidential pardon
Right out of the gate on his first day in office, he provided relief to over 1,500 individuals charged or convicted in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot, wiping away their legal liabilities through pardons, commuted sentences and dismissed prosecutions.
Since that initial wave, he has awarded dozens of additional clemencies, primarily benefiting white–collar offenders who are rich and well plugged in.
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who → convict → offenders
He was participating in an undercover investigation by CBS News' 60 Minutes aimed at pulling back the curtain on the pardon–brokering economy.
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He → participate → economy
To expose precisely how these arrangements work, the program had enlisted Covino to reach out to the brokers while equipped with hidden cameras.
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program → expose → cameras
The White House pushed back on the story, telling the Daily Mail that Covino was never granted a pardon.
'
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Covino → push → pardon
Anyone spending money to lobby for pardons is foolishly wasting their money and the President doesn't even know who these so-called "lobbyists" are.
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lobbyists → spend → money
The Trump Administration has a robust pardon review process which includes White House counsel, the Department of Justice, pardon czar Alice Johnson, and ultimately, the President himself as the final decider,' said spokesman Lauren Bis.
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Bis → have → decider
As his term neared its end in December 2024, President Biden sparked sharp backlash by issuing a wave of last–minute pardons to political allies, campaign donors, and immediate family members.
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Biden → near → allies
The White House pushed back on the story, telling the Daily Mail that Covino was never granted a pardon
Explaining their strategy to the couple, one of the lobbyists, Jack Burkman, remarked: 'With this particular White House, you have to put pressure on the President from all directions in a consistent way to force his hand'
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you → push → hand
Heading the controversial list was his son, Hunter Biden, who was facing sentencing after a federal firearms conviction and a guilty plea to tax evasion charges, as well as a preemptive pardon granted to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
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who → head → Fauci
A CBS News evaluation of Justice Department records reveals that roughly 70 percent of Trump's second–term clemency actions bypassed standard department channels – a figure that surges to 92 percent when factoring in the January 6 cases.
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that → reveal → cases
Sources told CBS News that fees charged by brokers have surged, topping out at up to $3 million.
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fees → tell → million
Federal law requires lobbyists to report both their clemency clients and the associated fees to Congress – but how they go about their process often operates under wraps.
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go → require → wraps
Burkman and Wohl fired back a response to Covino's initial email inquiry within seven minutes flat.
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Burkman → fire → inquiry
Pitching their firm's track record, the duo bragged about securing 'six victories' for past clemency applicants and expressed full confidence in his odds.
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duo → pitch → odds
They pinned his 2013 conviction squarely on 'Obama craziness,' arguing his case was a clear example of overreach from that era.
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case → pin → era
Text messages sent to rapper Torence Hatch, also known as 'Boosie Badazz,' reveal how pardon brokers pitch having high-level influence to clients.
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brokers → send → clients
One message from Wohl's number offered to recruit figures like House Speaker Mike Johnson, Laura Loomer and activist Erika Kirk to back Hatch's federal gun case.
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message → offer → case
Joe Biden sparked sharp backlash by issuing a wave of last–minute pardons
Wohl's denied sending that message.
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Wohl → spark → message
It also claimed Loomer could ask top White House aide Natalie Harp 'to bring it into POTUS.
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Loomer → claim → POTUS
'
Burkman and Wohl disavowed the texts, claiming they had never even heard of Harp at the time.
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they → disavow → time
Bis corroborated that Harp 'has never even interacted with Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl.
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Harp → corroborate → Burkman
In the end, Covino explained that he agreed to go undercover to 'expose unfairness.'
Yet, he admitted that dodging the system's pay–to–play nature feels almost impossible.
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dodging → explain → nature
'I don't like the fact that you have to pay such a huge amount of money because of who you know,' he remarked.
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he → like → who
'But if that's how the game's played, then that's how the game's played.'
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game → play → ?
The Daily Mail reached out to Burkman and Wohl.
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Mail → reach → Burkman
Burkman and Associates, their lobbying firm, says they are 'proud of the registered lobbying and advocacy work' they carry out for their clients.
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they → say → clients
The Aporia
