{
  "id": 7201746,
  "title": "Pardon brokers offer to \"put pressure on the president\" — at sky-high costs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/pardon-brokers-offer-to-put-pressure-on-the-president-at-sky-high",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T23:56:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-pardon-lobbyists-60-minutes/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In August, Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, lobbyists and right-wing provocateurs, approached Ammon Covino and his wife at a Ritz-Carlton hotel in Virginia. They were pitching a lucrative new industry of pardon brokers catering to those seeking pardons from President Trump. Covino, an aquarium operator, had previously served time for illegally transporting a shark and a stingray. Burkman and Wohl offered Covino a way to secure a pardon for $300,000, promising early delivery by October. However, Covino was not a real client; CBS News was investigating the world of pardon brokers. Currently, the pardon economy is unprecedented, with many brokers and influencers operating in the shadows to access the president. Fees can reach up to $3 million for access to the White House.",
  "summary": "Hidden cameras captured lobbyists as they tried to woo a potential client interested in obtaining a pardon from President Trump.",
  "key_points": [
    "Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl approached Ammon Covino at a Ritz-Carlton hotel in Virginia.",
    "Covino, an aquarium operator, offered $300,000 for a pardon from President Trump.",
    "Pardon economy is unprecedented with fees reaching up to $3 million."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Pardon brokers are capitalizing on the current presidential landscape, offering high-priced services to secure pardons, with fees reaching up to $3 million for access to the White House.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}