Boosie Badazz has revealed that he paid $600,000 to pursue a Trump pardon but never received clemency, in a television investigation into alleged pardon brokers.
The rapper told “60 Minutes” that he paid political operatives Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl upfront after being led to believe the payment would secure a pardon.
Boosie has since sued the pair, alleging they claimed to have significant influence within Donald Trump’s orbit and at one stage told him the president had already approved the pardon.
He is seeking to recover $300,000, claiming their agreement provided for half the money to be returned if the pardon did not go ahead.
Burkman has denied that any refund agreement existed. “We tried very, very hard,” he said.
The investigation found that Boosie was not the only person to pay for help seeking clemency. Burkman and Wohl were secretly recorded pitching another pardon applicant a $300,000 campaign involving events, influencers and members of Congress, intended to attract Trump’s attention.
Some pardon brokers are reportedly charging as much as $3 million. Burkman and Wohl denied doing anything improper, while the programme said pardon brokers were not breaking the law.
The White House said people spending money to lobby for clemency were wasting it. For Boosie, the result has been $600,000 paid out and no pardon secured.
