Brokers charge felons top dollar for a pardon from the president already weighing one for his own witness

“You know what a "vetting system" is when the president invents his own? A gift shop. They put a velvet rope in front of executive clemency and then acted surprised when guys started selling tickets to the rope. And the fixer — the guy who actually kept Trump's secrets — doesn't even need a ticket, because he already knows the guy at the door.”

Sal

“Look, access isn't influence, okay, everybody lobbies, that's — that's called democracy, we call it advocacy when our guys do it. And the Cohen thing, that's not a pardon, that's the president "considering" something, presidents consider things all day, I consider lunch — did I just compare a pardon to a sandwich, that's not landing the way I wanted it to.”

Chip

The receipts

~~Pardon brokers offer to "put pressure on the president" — at sky-high costs~~ Trump's pardon power now comes with a price tag, brokers say

CBS Newsmainstream§20:29 EDT

Hidden cameras captured lobbyists as they tried to woo a potential client interested in obtaining a pardon from President Trump.

~~Paid brokers tout ties to Trump's orbit to lobby for presidential pardons~~ Trump built his own pardon vetting system, and brokers charge admission

CBS Newsmainstream§20:45 EDT

President Trump has developed his own vetting system for pardons.

~~Brokers are offering felons a path to Trump pardons — at a steep price with no guarantees~~ Lobbyists are selling access to Trump's pardon power — no guarantee included

CBS Newsmainstream§19:53 EDT

Hidden cameras captured lobbyists as they tried to woo a potential client expressing interest in a pardon from President Trump.

~~How pardon brokers determine their prices~~ Trump pardons now have a price list — lobbyists just set it

CBS Newsmainstream§19:55 EDT

Our hidden cameras captured lobbyists as they tried to woo a potential client expressing interest in obtaining a pardon from President Trump. After we notified pardon brokers Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl of our hidden-camera operation, they agreed to sit down with us to talk about how they set their prices and engage influencers. Watch…

· Trump says he'd consider pardoning Michael Cohen from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026

This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.