Blumenthal Demands Documents From DOJ & Participants in Potential Corrupt Clemency Scheme

[WASHINGTON, DC] - Following a report by the New York Times that the Trump Administration's political appointees may have interfered in a Department of Justice investigation into a potentially corrupt clemency scheme, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote today to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche demanding information and documents regarding the case. Blumenthal made a similar request to Blanche in person during a meeting last week.

"President Trump has fostered a transactional, pay-to-play environment in which he grants pardons to the highest bidders and rewards political allies. This abuse of the pardon power profoundly undermines the rule of law-there cannot be accountability for criminal conduct if convicted criminals can escape their punishment for the right price or by hiring the right people," Blumenthal wrote. "The President's actions ignore the harms experienced by crime victims, nullify the dedicated work of law enforcement officers and prosecutors, and undermine the rule of law. This egregious affront to our country's founding principle of equal justice under law demands congressional scrutiny."

The case involves President Trump's commutation of a seven-year sentence being served by David Gentile, a private equity executive who was convicted of defrauding thousands of investors. Trump's grant of clemency not only released Gentile from prison, it also cost the government and victims more than $15.5 million in restitution.

Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York opened an investigation reportedly focused on improper payments made to secure the commutation that may have exceeded $2.5 million. One of the reported recipients of a payment from Gentile was Reverend Frank Mann, who appears to have leveraged his relationship with and access to President Trump to lobby for clemency for Gentile. That investigation was reportedly closed after Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh expressed concern regarding the investigation to U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr.

"Recent reporting indicates your office may have intervened to kill an investigation into improper payments related to President Trump's commutation of the sentence of David Gentile, less than two weeks into his seven-year sentence for his role in a $1.6 billion scheme that defrauded thousands of everyday investors," Blumenthal wrote. "I write to request information regarding the circumstances surrounding the commutation of David Gentile's sentence and the subsequent closure of the Eastern District of New York's investigation into potential misconduct regarding that commutation."

The full text of Blumenthal's letter to Blanche is available here and copied below. Blumenthal wrote similar letters to Gentile, Mann, and Nocella.

Dear Mr. Blanche:

Recent reporting indicates your office may have intervened to kill an investigation into improper payments related to President Trump's commutation of the sentence of David Gentile, less than two weeks into his seven-year sentence for his role in a $1.6 billion scheme that defrauded thousands of everyday investors. I write to request information regarding the circumstances surrounding the commutation of David Gentile's sentence and the subsequent closure of the Eastern District of New York's investigation into potential misconduct regarding that commutation. In our meeting yesterday concerning your nomination to be Attorney General, I asked you about this situation and you refused to answer, citing statutory prohibitions on disclosures about investigations. While there are codified protections on disclosure of certain investigatory information, information regarding political interference in the case is not statutorily protected.

On November 26, President Trump commuted Mr. Gentile's sentence after he had served just twelve days. In that short time in prison, Mr. Gentile reportedly told other inmates that he had made payments of $2.5 million or more to facilitate a commutation. One of the reported recipients of a payment from Mr. Gentile, Reverend Frank Mann, appears to have leveraged his relationship with and access to President Trump to lobby for clemency for Mr. Gentile.

The circumstances surrounding the commutation of Mr. Gentile's sentence were sufficiently suspicious that federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York opened an investigation, reportedly focused on improper payments made to secure the commutation that may have exceeded $2.5 million. That investigation was reportedly closed after a senior official from your office, Associate Deputy Attorney General Aakash Singh, expressed concern regarding the investigation to U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr.

By commuting Mr. Gentile's sentence, President Trump deprived his victims of over $15.5 million in restitution and ensured he served only twelve days of his seven-year sentence - one of the most extreme examples of how the President's disregard for the safeguards that historically govern the pardon process has resulted in great harm to victims, through both the loss of financial restitution and the extraordinary disrespect of seeing the president champion unrepentant criminals.

The commutation of Mr. Gentile is but one example of President Trump's unprecedented, corrupt, and self-serving abuse of the pardon power. Since providing blanket pardons to 1,270 convicted criminals who answered his call to engage in insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those who violently attacked law enforcement, the president has issued 121 additional acts of clemency. These have included Paul Walczak, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison for tax fraud offenses that severely harmed his employees, and who received a pardon less than one month after his mother donated $1 million to MAGA Inc. and attended a "candlelight dinner" at Mar-a-Lago. Similarly, Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former CEO of Binance, paid a Trump-affiliated lobbyist almost half a million dollars to help secure a pardon, while Binance entered into a financial partnership with World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency firm owned by President Trump's sons. Mr. Zhao received a pardon even as reporting indicates that Binance continues to enable sanctions evasion by Iran-linked actors.

President Trump has fostered a transactional, pay-to-play environment in which he grants pardons to the highest bidders and rewards political allies. This abuse of the pardon power profoundly undermines the rule of law-there cannot be accountability for criminal conduct if convicted criminals can escape their punishment for the right price or by hiring the right people. The President's actions ignore the harms experienced by crime victims, nullify the dedicated work of law enforcement officers and prosecutors, and undermine the rule of law. This egregious affront to our country's founding principle of equal justice under law demands congressional scrutiny

Moreover, President Trump has recklessly flouted regulatory and policy guardrails enacted to prevent exactly these sorts of abuses. Regulations have historically required that clemency petitioners demonstrate acceptance of responsibility, remorse, and atonement in order to be considered for a presidential pardon. The impact of the crime upon the victim and the extent of restitution to the victim have also been significant considerations, evaluated in part by providing notice to the victim of the crime or crimes for which clemency is sought. Although President Trump is not bound by these regulations, his disregard for them speaks volumes about his motivations.

Congress and the American people deserve full and timely details of the criteria and process by which the President has issued clemency actions since the beginning of his second term. Pursuant to Articles I and V of the Constitution, Senate Resolution 94 (119th Cong.), and PSI Rule 1, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has opened a preliminary inquiry to examine the President's abuse of the pardon power. To assist the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in its inquiry, please produce all records and communications related to your office's role in the issuance of a commutation for David Gentile, and the decision to close the investigation into improper payments related to that commutation. Further, please provide detailed responses to the following requests by July 10, 2026.

1. All communications between your office and any attorneys at the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York regarding the investigation into potential misconduct regarding David Gentile's commutation.
2. All communications between your office and the White House regarding the investigation into potential misconduct regarding David Gentile's commutation.
3. A list of all Department of Justice personnel who were involved in the decision to close the investigation into potential misconduct regarding David Gentile's commutation.
4. A list of all Department of Justice personnel who were involved in the process of considering a grant of clemency for David Gentile.
5. All records relating to the process for determining David Gentile's eligibility for clemency.
6. All communications and records with attorneys, lobbyists, and others receiving compensation in exchange for assistance in securing a grant of clemency for David Gentile.
7. A written explanation of the reasons for granting executive clemency for David Gentile.
8. All victim impact statements referenced in the February 21, 2025 sentencing letter from federal prosecutors to Judge Kovner.
9. The waiver issued before granting David Gentile clemency before the five-year wait from conviction or release from confinement had concluded.

Please contact the Subcommittee should you have any questions about responding to these requests. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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