- A partner in Rudy Giuliani told a former CIA agent seeking forgiveness that it would cost $ 2 million, the New York Times reported.
- Giuliani disputed the account of the former CIA official, telling the Times that he does not remember the meeting and that helping someone to obtain forgiveness would be a conflict of interest.
- The Times reported that several people with connections to Trump have accepted large sums of money from people seeking forgiveness.
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An aide to Rudy Giuliani, a personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, told a former CIA official that he was seeking a presidential pardon that “would cost $ 2 million,” the New York Times reported on Sunday.
The revelation came as part of a comprehensive report by the Times that describes how several people close to the president collected large sums in exchange for helping people seek forgiveness.
John Kiriakou, the former CIA agent, was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2012 for revealing the identity of a fellow police officer involved in drowning. Kiriakou told the Times that he had sought forgiveness through other people with ties to the president – in order to carry a gun and gain access to his pension – but the matter came up during a non-alcoholic meeting Giuliani and his associates at Trump International Hotel in Washington DC.
When Giuliani went to the bathroom during the meeting, one of his associates said Giuliani could help, but “it will cost $ 2 million – he will want two million dollars,” Kiriakou told the Times.
Kiriakou did not accept the offer, according to the Times.
“I laughed. Two million dollars – have you gone crazy?” Kiriakou said to the outlet. “Even if I had two million dollars, I would not spend it to recover a pension of $ 700,000.”
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A friend of Kiriakou reported the meeting to the FBI, upset that Giuliani may be selling presidential pardons, the Times reported. But Giuliani contested the Times report, telling the media that he did not remember the meeting and that working on clemency cases while working as the president’s attorney would constitute a conflict of interest.
The Times reported that several people with connections to Trump, including his former lawyer John Dowd and former campaign advisor Karen Giorno, accepted tens of thousands of dollars in payments from people seeking forgiveness.
Presidents often embark on a pardon frenzy as they prepare to step down, but Trump, rarely someone who follows the norms, has been criticized for using pardons primarily to reward his allies, fellow Republican politicians and people close to his family.
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Trump pardoned several people who were charged in connection with Special Lawyer Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. They include his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, who was convicted of tax and banking fraud and was serving a sentence of 7 1/2 years in prison.
Roger Stone, a former Trump associate who was convicted of obstructing justice, tampering with witnesses and lying to investigators in connection with the special attorney’s investigation, also received a pardon. Trump also forgave Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who pleaded guilty to charges, including tampering with witnesses and tax evasion, and served two years in prison.
Trump also suggested forgiving his family, Giuliani and himself.