{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-schumer-lead-senate-democrats-in-legislation-to-end-unprecedented-presidential-corruption-stop-pay-to-play-pardons", "Blumenthal & Schumer Lead Senate Democrats In Legislation To End Unprecedented Presidential Corruption, Stop \"Pay-To-Play\" Pardons", "2026-08-03", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[Hartford, CT] \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced the No Payoffs For Pardons Act to strengthen transparency and accountability in the presidential clemency process. This legislation would require individuals who receive pardons to disclose any significant financial gifts made in connection with their clemency, both at the time it is granted and for four years afterward. It also confirms federal bribery laws apply to the President and Vice President. Simply put, the No Payoffs For Pardons Act is designed to deter, expose, and prosecute corrupt pardons.\n\nThis legislation is being introduced in tandem on the House side by Representative Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the Committee on House Administration.\n\nPresident Trump promised to attack \u201cwaste, fraud, and abuse.\u201d But after a year and a half in office, it\u2019s clear that he has engaged in a level of corruption and abuse previously unseen in the office. Trump has taken one of the undisputed powers of the President \u2014 the ability to grant clemency for a crime \u2014 and perverted its intention. No longer does a presidential pardon seek to right an injustice, Trump has turned the pardon into a prize that can be won by the highest bidder, no matter the crime committed.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s pay-to-play pardon scheme rewards political allies and sells out justice to the highest bidder,\u201d said Senator Blumenthal. \u201cWhen convicted criminals can escape punishment for the right price or by hiring the right people, it corrupts the justice system for everyone. And President Trump\u2019s pardons have cost taxpayers and crime victims billions in forfeited restitution and put child predators back into our communities. Basic transparency and accountability are imperative.\u201d\n\nThe No Payoffs For Pardons Act would establish disclosure requirements for clemency recipients and clarifies applications of the federal bribery statute. The legislation would impose disclosure obligations, making it so a clemency recipient would have to file a report if they give a certain \u201ccovered benefit\u201d to a \u201ccovered recipient.\u201d Additionally, the legislation goes further to clarify federal bribery, confirming that it applies to the President and Vice President, and establishes a 10-year statute of limitation for bribery offenses involving the granting, denying, withholding, promising, or offering of executive clemency.\n\n\u201cJustice should not be bought and sold. But Trump has turned clemency into a perk that his golf buddies, donors, and allies can buy. Proximity to the Presidency has provided criminals with a \u2018get out of jail free\u2019 card,\u201d said Leader Schumer. \u201cWe are seeking to bring sunlight to the deals that Trump is trying to do under the cover of shadows and stop the rampant corrupt that has been a hallmark of his presidency since Day One.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump treats pardons like a payout,\u201d said Senator Cortez Masto. \u201cThe American people deserve to know if the criminals President Trump is pardoning have lobbied or paid him or his family. This commonsense legislation will expose the \u2018pay to play\u2019 pardon to limit Trump\u2019s corrupt power grabs.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s blatant misuse of the pardon power to serve his political and personal whims is illustrative of the same message he continues to send to his donors and friends: if you\u2019ve got enough money or the right political connections, the law doesn\u2019t apply to you. It\u2019s time to crack down on the president\u2019s abuses, and I\u2019m proud to join Leader Schumer in helping to bring transparency and accountability to the corrupt use of the pardon power,\u201d said Senator Schiff.\n\n\"The most corrupt President this country has ever seen only seeks to serve himself and his billionaire friends,\" said Rep. Morelle. \"Far too many Americans are struggling with providing the basics for their family because the cost of Trump\u2019s corruption has been brought to their kitchen table. The American people deserve to know how the President is abusing the pardon power and their trust, that\u2019s exactly what the No Payoffs For Pardons Act will deliver.\"\n\nThis is the latest action in Senate Democrats anti-corruption initiative, which is working to expose President Trump\u2019s rampant self-dealing, demonstrate how corruption costs American families and enact lasting safeguards against presidents who attempt to exploit public office for personal profit. The initiative includes a new Senate Democratic anti-corruption working group and the release of a report, \u201cThe Cost of Corruption: How Trump Turns Power Into Profit At Americans\u2019 Expense.\u201d\n\n\"The pardon power exists to serve as a safety net to correct injustices. However, the Trump administration has gravely abused this power by pardoning those convicted of bribery, corruption, and insider trading; hundreds of rioters who assaulted law enforcement officials on January 6; and other criminals in the Epstein class who are connected to the rich and powerful,\" said Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), co-founder and board member of Democracy Defenders Action. \"It is past due for Congress to rein in these unchecked pardon powers, and we thank Leader Schumer and Senator Blumenthal for introducing the No Corrupt Pardons Act.\"\n\n\u201cA presidential pardon is meant to be an opportunity for mercy, not enrichment,\u201d?said?Adav Noti, executive director of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.?\u201cBut?the federal?pardon?system has?been?thoroughly corrupted,?permitting?lawbreakers with extreme wealth to use their political connections to?avoid accountability. These are just the examples we can see;?without disclosure,?pardon?recipients can buy influence through dark money political spending,?or by supporting the president\u2019s pet?projects and personal businesses.?Americans deserve a fair shake, not a criminal justice system where regular people are punished and the wealthy walk free.?Sen. Schumer\u2019s?legislation would address corruption by pardon seekers and ensure those who?buy pardons?face the same consequences?as anyone else who bribes the government.?Congress must?pass?the No Payoffs For Pardons Act?and?take these?important steps to restore fairness and strengthen the rule of law.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s outrageous exploitation of the pardon power to benefit himself, his cronies, and his sleazy benefactors absolutely demands reform,\u201d said Lisa Gilbert, Co-President Public Citizen. \u201cPublic Citizen strongly supports Senator Schumer\u2019s pardon reform bill that will force sleazy financial pay-to-play pardon schemes out from the shadows and into the light of day. Anyone who plans, participates in, or profits from perverting the sacred pardon power for depraved purposes should be exposed and held accountable for abusing the public\u2019s trust.\u201d\n\nThe full text of the legislation can be seen here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-08-04T07:35:49Z", "2026-08-04T07:37:27Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-and-schumer-lead-senate-democrats-in-legislation-to-end-unprecedented-presidential-corruption-stop-pay-to-play-pardons"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7240727320313454, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}