Overview
- More than half a dozen current and former Justice Department prosecutors told the Boston Globe that sweeping clemencies have undermined morale and confidence that long, resource‑intensive cases will lead to accountability.
- The White House defends the actions as correcting what it calls corrupt or overzealous prosecutions carried out under President Biden.
- Recipients include George Santos, Rep. Henry Cuellar, Brian Kelsey, Trevor Milton, Todd and Julie Chrisley, and Ross Ulbricht, along with more than 1,500 people convicted in the Jan. 6 cases.
- Some clemencies erased imminent prison terms and wiped out restitution obligations, including a case in which a defendant due to report to prison saw both sentence and taxpayer restitution nullified.
- People familiar with the process say customary Justice Department vetting was bypassed, and Washington Post reporting cited by the outlets says nursing‑home owner Joseph Schwartz paid Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl $960,000 to lobby for a pardon that also vacated $5 million in restitution.