The U.S. was investigating a potential "bribery-for-pardon" scheme in involving a federal convict, two intermediaries, and White House officials as recently as August, a federal judge in Washington revealed in a court filing Tuesday.
The 18-page document, from Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell and dated Aug. 28, was heavily redacted, revealing none of the people involved. But it did indicate that federal prosecutors were investigating whether the intermediaries secretly lobbied White House officials for a pardon or commuted sentence, and a parallel scheme in which a pardon or "reprieve of sentence" would be traded for a potential political contribution. The convict apparently seeking clemency was imprisoned as recently as this summer.
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