Pardoning Profiteers: How Trump's Vetting System Has Become a Pay to Play Scandal The practice of presidential pardons has long been shrouded in controversy, with each new administration justifying its own brand of clemency as an exercise in mercy.
But under President Trump's watchful eye, the system has devolved into something more insidious: a marketplace where money and influence are bought and sold like commodities.
At the center of this quagmire is a cast of characters who have made a career out of brokering access to the White House.