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DPA
Washington
The US Justice Department is investigating a suspected bribery scheme in which a “substantial political contribution” would be offered in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence, according to a court document unsealed on Tuesday.
The record was unsealed by Chief Judge Beryl Howell, of the US District Court in Washington.
The heavily-redacted 20-page filing does not include the names of the suspects in the scheme. However it says at least one of the suspects is an attorney, and the pardon would be on behalf of person convicted of a federal crime.
The US Justice Department alleges that two suspects acted in a “secret lobbying scheme” to persuade senior White House officials to secure a pardon without registering as lobbyists.
A related suspected bribery scheme “would offer a substantial political contribution in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence” for the defendant, the filing states.
There is no mention of president Donald Trump - who has the sole and largely unlimited power to grant a pardon - in the non-redacted portions of the filing.
The filing is part of Judge Howell’s decision granting the Justice Department’s request to review several terabytes of data on 50 digital media devices, including iPhones, iPads and hard drives that were seized in a previous law enforcement raid.
Howell determined that the information in the devices are not covered by attorney-client privileges that shield some communications with law enforcement.
The development comes just days after Trump pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contact with a Russian official.
Washington
The US Justice Department is investigating a suspected bribery scheme in which a “substantial political contribution” would be offered in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence, according to a court document unsealed on Tuesday.
The record was unsealed by Chief Judge Beryl Howell, of the US District Court in Washington.
The heavily-redacted 20-page filing does not include the names of the suspects in the scheme. However it says at least one of the suspects is an attorney, and the pardon would be on behalf of person convicted of a federal crime.
The US Justice Department alleges that two suspects acted in a “secret lobbying scheme” to persuade senior White House officials to secure a pardon without registering as lobbyists.
A related suspected bribery scheme “would offer a substantial political contribution in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence” for the defendant, the filing states.
There is no mention of president Donald Trump - who has the sole and largely unlimited power to grant a pardon - in the non-redacted portions of the filing.
The filing is part of Judge Howell’s decision granting the Justice Department’s request to review several terabytes of data on 50 digital media devices, including iPhones, iPads and hard drives that were seized in a previous law enforcement raid.
Howell determined that the information in the devices are not covered by attorney-client privileges that shield some communications with law enforcement.
The development comes just days after Trump pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contact with a Russian official.
