Democratic lawmakers launch probe on some Trump pardon recipients, process

House and Senate Democrats have launched an inquiry into whether some Trump pardons and commutations were shaped by money, lobbying or other forms of influence.

CBS News reported on May 7 that Reps. Dave Min and Raul Ruiz and Sen. Peter Welch sent letters to more than a dozen clemency recipients asking whether their pardons or commutations were influenced by intermediaries, donations, lobbyists or social-media influencers. The lawmakers also asked for records of payments to lawyers, lobbyists and other fixers.

The probe includes recipients such as Changpeng Zhao, Joseph Schwartz, Trevor Milton, Lawrence Duran, Paul Walczak and Timothy Leiweke. The letters reportedly ask for communications with federal officials and any evidence that outside pressure shaped the clemency process.

The White House denied wrongdoing in CBS’s report and said paying lobbyists for pardons would be a waste of money.

For now, the inquiry is centered on document requests and recipient responses. The next step will be whether the lawmakers get records by their deadline and whether they build enough evidence to escalate the investigation further.