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EXCLUSIVE: Trump allies -- like a former campaign staffer and even his former personal lawyer, John Dowd -- have sold their access to Trump, taking $$$ from wealthy felons to lobby Trump and White House aides, like Jared Kushner, for pardons. w/ @kenvogel https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/17/us/politics/trump-pardons.html
One of the big reasons Trump allies have been able to profit from selling access to White House for pardons is that Trump/Kushner have eschewed longstanding DOJ process to vet pardon applicants, which is designed to ensure pardons are handed out on merit, not because of $/access.
Just months after John Dowd stepped down as Trump’s lead lawyer, he began marketing himself to wealthy convicts, claiming he could help them get pardons because he had an in w/ Trump/Kushner. Billy Walters, a wealthy imprisoned convict prosecuted by SDNY/FBI, hired Dowd.
Dowd told potential clients Trump would look favorably upon those convicts who were being investigated by SDNY and the FBI -- two groups who were investigating Trump and who Trump was seeking to undermine in any way possible.
Dowd had his own history with Trump and pardons. As Trump's lawyer he had dangled a pardon to former Nat Sec Advisor Mike Flynn during the Mueller investigation. Dowd had learned during his representation of Trump how Trump was trying to undermine Mueller, DOJ, FBI, etc.
Dowd took tens of thousands of dollars from the imprisoned wealthy felon Billy Walters. Although Dowd told Walters he had his pardon lined up, it still hasn't come through. Dowd still represents Walters who is hoping for pardon in final days of administration.
Here’s doc showing how former CIA agent John Kiriakou hired Trump campaign staffer Karen Giorno “to seek a full pardon from President Donald Trump” for $50,000. Deal had bonus: if Giorno got Trump to pardon Kiriakou she would receive additional $50,000 https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/john-kiriakou-karen-giorno/5127342fbd745ada/full.pdf
