US Authorities Probe Alleged ‘bribery For Pardon’ Scheme Ahead Of Trump’s White House Exit

In what could be yet another low in Donald Trump’s controversial presidential stint, the US justice department is probing an alleged “bribery-for-pardon” scheme as per a court filing unsealed on Tuesday, December 2. This comes amid a flurry of media reports suggesting that the US president is considering sweeping pardons before his White House departure next month.

As per reports, the redacted filings do not name Trump but state that two individuals acted as lobbyists to secure presidential pardon in exchange for a “substantial political contribution”. The names have been blacked out. Meanwhile, the justice department clarified that no government official is being probed and the investigation is to ascertain if money was funnelled to the White House in exchange for a pardon. While the White House is yet to issue an official statement on the matter, Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to rubbish the investigation. The outgoing US president criticised the media for “fake news” even though the details of the ongoing investigation surfaced from an official document filed with the district court for the District of Columbia, Washington. Last month, Trump granted a full pardon to former National Security advisor Michael Flynn who was charged with lying to federal investigators conducting the Mueller investigation. In his term as the US President, Trump has pardoned many of his former associates and saved them from serving jail time. Meanwhile, US media has reported that Trump is discussing the possibility of pardoning family members.