Washington, May 7 -- Democrats in Congress have opened an investigation into whether clemency decisions made by President Donald Trump were apolitical, or influenced by "pay to play dynamics", according to letters obtained by CBS News.
The inquiry, launched by Representatives Dave Min and Raul Ruiz alongside Senator Peter Welch, is examining whether pardons and commutations during Trump's second term reflected what lawmakers described as possible "pay-to-play dynamics".
Among the clemency recipients under scrutiny is Changpeng Zhao, the cryptocurrency billionaire who pleaded guilty to money laundering offences, as well as nursing home operator Joseph Schwartz, convicted over a multimillion-dollar payroll tax fraud scheme, and former Nikol...