Pardon recipients must disclose gifts to president
Sponsored by Joseph D. Morelle
What the bill does
This bill requires people who receive a presidential pardon or commutation to publicly report any gifts, payments, or other benefits worth $10,000 or more that they gave to the president, the president's family, or related entities during a period starting one year before the president took office and ending four years after the clemency. The reports would be filed with the Attorney General and posted online. The bill also exempts payments for genuine legal services from the disclosure requirement.
The stakes
This bill affects anyone who receives a presidential pardon or commutation and has given money or gifts to the president or the president's family. It aims to make the pardon process more transparent by revealing potential financial connections between the president and those who receive clemency.
What each side says
- The bill requires public disclosure of large gifts or payments from pardon recipients to the president or the president's family, which could reveal if clemency was influenced by money.bill
- The bill covers a wide range of benefits, including contributions, donations, and contracts, and applies to entities like presidential libraries and political committees, making it harder to hide such payments.bill
- The bill makes the reports publicly available on a searchable website, allowing the public to see any potential connections between clemency and financial support.bill
- The bill could discourage people from seeking pardons if they fear their private financial dealings with the president or family members would be exposed, even if those dealings are unrelated to the pardon.bill
- The disclosure requirement might be overly broad, capturing legitimate business transactions or personal gifts that have nothing to do with the pardon, creating an unfair burden on recipients.bill
Each point links to its source. The views are attributed to those sources, not stated as ours.
Lobbying filings, contributions, and votes are public records shown side by side. The further down the chain, the further the money is from this bill. This page does not assert that money caused any vote.