'Chaos': Trump's chief tried to stop buy-a-pardon schemes by influencers

The White House claims it's trying to "clean things up" regarding the corruption surrounding pardons and clemency.

During the first year in the White House, top allies of President Donald Trump were raking in major cash from those seeking intervention. Those close to Trump were paid handsomely as wealthy felons searched for ways to get out of jail or have their convictions expunged, ProPublic reported in November 2025.

NOTUS reported that it was paused for a time.

"Senior leadership, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, had grown concerned about the optics of the president’s pardons, according to three people familiar with discussions, and moved to tighten the process," the report said. "The effect of those efforts limited Johnson’s access to the one person who makes the final decision: Trump."

Ex-Trump lawyer Peter Ticktin, who fought for Jan. 6 pardons for the militia members like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, implied it was silly since “It’s not like Donald Trump doesn’t want to pardon people.”

Alice Marie Johnson, the grandmother who received a pardon from Trump, has been meeting with Trump as his "pardon czar" until Wiles put the kibosh on her meetings. Ultimately, she spoke briefly with Trump at Mar-a-Lago instead, and not long after, the five NFL players she'd fought for were pardoned.

She isn't the only one concerned, the report said.

“It’s not just [Susie] that’s concerned,” said a source familiar with the White House's thinking. Other administrations have had concerns about their own optics. “Everyone has had this concern.”

One source involved in the pardon process called it "chaos."

“There is no process, there is no right way to do this,” they said.

But a White House official swears things are better than they appear. “It may seem chaotic, but there’s a defined process in place," the official said.

“There has been no change to the pardon process,” a different official said, claiming that it was just about Trump's unpredictable schedule.

“The Administration has always had a robust review process, which involves the Department of Justice, Alice Johnson, and the White House Counsel’s office. Ultimately, President Trump is the final decider. Susie is simply ensuring the process, which has always existed, is followed," the official told NOTUS.

But NOTUS spoke to "multiple people" who said pardons have changed significantly.

“At this point, Trump really doesn’t give a sh—— about public reactions to his pardons,” one source familiar with Trump’s thinking told NOTUS. The individual said that on at least one occassion Trump told them that they should ask for pardons for those dealing with the system.

Meanwhile, the pardon attorney in the Department of Justice has had his role significantly limited. Ed Martin, a longtime Trump loyalist, was caught leaking grand jury information, which is illegal.

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