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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Wall Street Journal Finds That $1 Million Is the Going Rate for Crooks to Obtain Fast-Track Pardons From Trump
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-wall-street-journal-finds-thatThe Wall Street Journal recently published an exposé on the going price for a Trump pardon:
As a string ensemble played in the background, Donald Trump Jr. walked up with lobbyist Ches McDowell to chat with the president. Trump Jr. at one point pulled McDowell forward to shake the presidents hand, according to a livestream broadcast. After they went inside, McDowell took the president aside to discuss a pressing issue, according to people familiar with the matter: One of his clients was seeking a pardon.
The client was Changpeng Zhao, founder of the worlds largest crypto exchange, Binance. That afternoon, the president agreed to sign Zhaos pardon, the people said.
Zhao was one of the beneficiaries of a new, informal path to presidential pardons that has become a feature of Trumps second term, which allows some clemency applicants with deep pockets or politically connected lobbyists to circumvent the traditional pardon process.
The new approachdriven in part by Trumps own experience as a criminal defendant, people close to him sayhas spawned a pardon-shopping industry where lobbyists say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal, according to people familiar with the offers.
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The Wall Street Journal Finds That $1 Million Is the Going Rate for Crooks to Obtain Fast-Track Pardons From Trump (Original Post)
BlueWaveNeverEnd
17 hrs ago
OP
tonkatoy8888
(176 posts)1. "...a new, informal path to presidential pardons..."
Holy fuck, is that what we call bribery now?
We've reached the medieval pope selling indulgences portion of the program.
And ICE shooting people in the face is a new, informal path to jurisprudence.
moondust
(21,231 posts)2. How many voters
endorsed, donated to, and voted for the convicted felon precisely because they knew how utterly corrupt he is and knew he would have pardons for sale? Didn't he just sell a second pardon to somebody?