Pardon Transparency Laws Needed to Protect Against Clemency-for-Cash Schemes

I am writing to urge you to support legislation establishing transparency and accountability requirements for presidential pardons. The events of September 3, 2026, and the House Judiciary Democrats' recent "Pardons, Inc." report make clear that without statutory safeguards, the pardon power can become an instrument of corruption rather than justice. On September 3, the President granted 29 pardons and commutations with minimal public disclosure and no meaningful explanation. The subsequent investigation documented a disturbing pattern: major donors received pardons or had prosecution dismissals, convicted international drug traffickers walked free, and billions of dollars in restitution owed to victims simply disappeared. Trevor Milton, who donated $1.8 million to the campaign, received a pardon that erased $660 million in restitution obligations. In another case, a pardon followed within days of a recipient's family member donating $1 million for a private dinner with the President. Changpeng Zhao, whose company invested $2 billion in Trump family ventures, received a pardon following aggressive lobbying and political coordination. This is not justice. This is a clemency-for-cash racket that betrays both the rule of law and the victims denied restitution they were legally owed. The House Judiciary Democrats' report documents Reuters findings that 290 political operatives charged between $2 million and $5 million per engagement to lobby for clemency. The Trump administration's pardons erased approximately $1.7 billion in restitution and fines, compared to $688,000 from eighty Biden administration pardons. These are not coincidences. Congress must act. The Pardon Transparency and Accountability Act (H.R.9860) and the Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act (S.5256) represent first steps toward essential reforms. These bills require presidents to disclose and explain every pardon, mandate financial disclosures from recipients, strengthen enforcement against pardon-related bribery, and ensure victims are notified. They restore integrity to a presidential power that the Constitution grants but does not license to be weaponized for personal gain. Voters cannot hold a president accountable for decisions made in darkness. Transparency is not a partisan issue; it is a prerequisite for democratic accountability and equal protection under law. I urge you to support pardon transparency legislation and to demand that these essential reforms advance through Congress.