This Trump-linked firm is lobbying for presidential pardons — and business is booming

U.S. President Donald Trump in Macungie, Pennsylvania, U.S., June 23, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Since returning to the White House 17 months ago, President Donald Trump has used the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to target his political adversaries while pardoning his allies. And according to CBS News, "business is booming" for an Indianapolis-based lobbying firm pushing for presidential pardons from Trump.

The firm is Mo Strategies, which, according to CBS News' Gabe Kaminsky, includes former Trump campaign and administration officials and is successfully "expanding into the newly-lucrative world of pardons."

"The Trump-linked firm has signed on to lobby for the law firm Blessinger Legal in Northern Virginia for 'immigration and pardon-related discussions,' federal lobbying disclosures in late May show," Kaminsky reports. "The engagement has already yielded the firm $500,000 in income, and more work is expected, Marty Obst, president of Mo Strategies, said in an interview."

Obst told CBS News, "We're one of the fastest-growing firms in D.C., and are helping them navigate the landscape and process. What I've tried to do is provide guidance of what the process looks like, and what types of cases would appeal to this White House. There's a legal process and a political process for pardons and clemency."

Mo Strategies' work, according to Kaminsky, shows that a "cottage industry" of "well-connected lobbyists, lawyers and influencers who advocate on presidential clemency" has "flourished during Mr. Trump's second term." And Obst, according to the CBS News reporter, is a veteran conservative strategist who worked on Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns and was also a senior adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence."

The Mo Strategies filing that listed $500,000 in income, according to Kaminsky, lobbied the Trump White House as well as DOJ this year.

A DOJ spokesperson, quoted anonymously, told CBS News that its pardon office has received a "record number of applications for clemency" and will "make recommendations to the president that are consistent, unbiased and uphold the rule of law."

Blessinger Legal, Kaminsky notes, was founded by attorney Eileen Blessinger — who is known for her extensive work in immigration law.

"As Mr. Trump's administration pursued an immigration crackdown, Obst said Blessinger contacted him for guidance on new policies and to have him review dozens of her clients' cases to determine which might be viable for a potential pardon," Kaminsky reports. "Some of Blessinger's cases have a criminal court component, including green-card holders who were convicted of a crime, though some of the pardon work could be for non-immigration-related cases, he added."

Obst told CBS News, "The Biden administration really expanded government reach, sometimes unfairly. In some cases, there were very aggressive prosecutions that seemed highly political. There are cases that qualify as needing further review. Whether or not they get a pardon — there are no guarantees to that."

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