MAGA Pitchmen Tout Trump Ties to Cash In on Clemency: The Brief

PITCHMEN ON the periphery of the MAGA movement are touting supposed ties to President Donald Trump and other administration officials to try to persuade white-collar defendants to pay them to secure presidential pardons, occupying a space once dominated by pro bono advocates, Ava Benny-Morrison reports.

• In one case, a series of communications over encrypted networks earlier this year shows how Matt Argall and Brock Pierce formulated a plan for Roger Ver, the crypto entrepreneur known as Bitcoin Jesus, who was under indictment for tax evasion. They touted their connections to Washington insiders who could push the administration for a pardon, ...