1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to launch a congressional investigation into apparent corruption in President Trump's pardon process. Recent reporting reveals a deeply troubling arrangement that demands immediate scrutiny. Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan billionaire facing felony bribery charges, sought a presidential pardon. After securing a reduced plea deal in August 2025, he pursued multiple avenues for clemency, including a 3.5 million dollar super PAC donation through his daughter. When those efforts stalled, the Herrera family hired Alina Habba, a Trump personal lawyer and Justice Department adviser, with an extraordinary compensation package: 10 million dollars annually for four years, plus bonuses totaling over 50 million dollars. Habba was contracted as general counsel for Concord Partners, a company created specifically for this arrangement with no clear business purpose. She finalized this deal in late October 2025 while still serving as U.S. attorney in New Jersey. She formally began work on January 1, 2026. Weeks later, President Trump granted Herrera a full and unconditional pardon. This sequence raises serious questions. While Habba denies involvement and the White House claims standard procedures were followed, people familiar with her contract believed she was hired to facilitate the pardon. The compensation scale alone suggests impropriety. This case exemplifies a larger problem: Trump's second term has spawned a "pardon industry" where wealthy individuals pay substantial sums to well-connected insiders for access and influence. Some pardon seekers report paying one million dollars or more for these services. This arrangement potentially violates federal ethics laws, conflicts of interest statutes, and principles of government integrity. It suggests that presidential clemency has become a commodity available to the highest bidder rather than a power exercised in the public interest. I urge you to demand a full congressional investigation into this matter, including examination of Habba's contract, the pardon process, and the broader pattern of pay-to-pardon arrangements in the Trump administration. Our democracy depends on government officials acting with integrity and transparency, not personal financial gain.