A CBS News 60 Minutes hidden-camera investigation caught political operatives Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl offering to broker a presidential pardon in exchange for a six-figure fee. According to the investigation, the pair told a prospective client, felon Ammon Covino, that reaching President Trump would cost around $300,000, covering high-dollar fundraiser tickets and paid social media pressure campaigns. "With this particular White House you have to put pressure on the President from all directions in a consistent way to force his hand," Burkman said, according to 60 Minutes footage reported by The Advocate.

Covino had already applied for a pardon through the normal Department of Justice process, paying only for postage, but saw that application rejected under the previous administration amid a large backlog of unresolved requests. Then Burkman and Wohl approached him with a paid alternative to that legitimate process. Their pitch is part of a growing "pardon economy" in Washington, where lobbyists now specialize in helping wealthy or connected clients skip the line entirely.

This isn't the first time Burkman and Wohl have used deception for political gain. In 2019, the pair fabricated a sexual assault allegation against then-presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg by using a real college student's identity without his consent — a scheme the student later publicly denounced.

When access to presidential mercy can be bought instead of earned through the legitimate process, it undermines the rule of law for everyone still waiting their turn. The Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney and the White House Counsel's Office should investigate pay-to-pardon brokering and close the door on operators who treat clemency as a commodity.

Sign the petition to demand an investigation into pardon-for-profit brokering — before more people pay to jump the line.