'Buy your way out': Experts say Trump's new 'bribery' scheme will 'backfire'

Attorneys warn President Donald Trump’s use of his ability to pardon criminal defendants could erode faith in the justice system and discourage federal investigators and prosecutors.

In an Atlanta Journal Constitution report claiming ‘Trump’s pardons may backfire,’ former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys and prosecutors say they are worried Trump’s penchant for awarding pardons based on wealth or political affiliation will send a message to justice officials not to prosecute certain suspects, regardless of the amount of evidence against them.

“What this yields is a system where, if you have the right political beliefs and enough money, you can buy your way out of justice, and that is a notion that would send shivers down any former federal prosecutor’s spine,” said Lynsey Barron, who reviewed pardon applications for the DOJ under both Obama and Trump.

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Since returning to office, Trump has pardoned more than 1,500 people, many of them with right-leaning political affiliations. This includes people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and 24 people accused of hindering access to reproductive health clinics and related crimes, according to the AJC.

Trump’s more recent pardons include former reality television stars and multimillionaires Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted of fraud, bribery, and tax evasion, among other crimes. However, the Chrisleys claimed they were prosecuted because of their conservative views, reports AJC, and allegedly because of bias from U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross, a Barack Obama appointee.

The conservative-leaning 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, with its six Trump-appointed judges, upheld the Chrisleys’ convictions last year.

Presidential priority is usually given to people who admit their guilt, take responsibility for their actions and show they are trying to do better, reports AJC. However, The Chrisleys admitted no guilt and had years left in prison.

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“This is President Trump using that power to reward his friends,” said Barron. “When a president uses it to reward their friend, it’s bribery by a different name.”

Georgia criminal defense attorney Scott Grubman told AJC he was already advising clients to steer money into currying White House favor rather than investing in expensive appeals, because the common thread among people recently pardoned by Trump appears to be their expressions of support for him.

“I said to [my client], ‘Look, to the extent you have any money left, I would strongly consider finding someone who could help you through the current pardon process and doing what you need to do to get on the administration’s radar,’” said Grubman.

Read the full AJC report here.