Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (May 30, 2025)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Pardon Attorney Ed Martin demanding answers on how pardon decisions are being made at DOJ’s Office of the Pardon Attorney amid growing concerns that Mr. Martin has tossed aside the Department’s long-standing pardon requirements to reward Trump loyalists and the ultra-rich. While Mr. Martin prioritizes pardon applications for the wealthy and well-connected, there are roughly 8,000 Americans with pending applications for clemency who have followed the rules, waited their turn and are awaiting fair consideration for a second chance.

“I write to ask you to explain the criteria and process you are now using as the United States Pardon Attorney to recommend individuals for a presidential pardon.  […] Alas, it at least appears that you are using the Office of the Pardon Attorney to dole out pardons as favors to the President’s loyal political followers and most generous donors, completely ignoring and abandoning the thousands of individual applications for clemency in the normal process. These Americans depend on your office for a fair shot at a second chance in a process that has some real integrity,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin.

Days into Mr. Martin’s new role as Pardon Attorney, Trump pardoned Culpeper County, Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins, who was convicted in December 2024 on federal bribery charges and sentenced to ten years in prison for operating a “cash-for-badges” scheme. He will never spend a day in prison.

The following day, President Trump announced that he would pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley who were convicted in 2022 for tax evasion and bank fraud. Their daughter spoke at the Republican National Convention last July, arguing that her parents were victims of political prosecution—conveniently ignoring that they were indicted during the first Trump Administration.

On Wednesday, reports indicate that as many as 20 dubious pardons were granted, including that of former Congressman Michael Grimm and infamous Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover, founder of the Gangster Disciples.

Mr. Martin has also pledged to take a “hard look” at pardoning two of the convicted felons who conspired to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, saying on national television that the two men are “victims just like January 6.”  

He is also exploring pardons for several of the January 6th insurrectionists whose conduct was so egregious that unlike the other 1,600 rioters who received full pardons, Trump only commuted their sentences. The violent extremists now seeking full pardons include leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys militias who planned and directed the assault on the Capitol and violently injured at least 140 law enforcement officers.

This string of pardons seems to indicate that the new criteria for obtaining a pardon or commutation under the Trump Administration are: demonstrating political loyalty to Donald Trump, or being wealthy enough to make a massive financial contribution to him.

“Your job, as Pardon Attorney, is not to reward convicted defendants who have been politically or financially loyal to the President. It is to do the hard work of reviewing the nearly 8,000 pending petitions of individuals who have actually followed the rules and waited their turn. These are people who are counting on your independent and apolitical review for a second chance and relying on your office for a fair shot at securing a presidential pardon. I urge you not to let them—and the American people—down by corrupting and weaponizing the important and unique mission of the Office of the Pardon Attorney,” concluded Ranking Member Raskin.

Click here to read the letter.