Clinton Pardon Scandal Reveals Payments to President's Brother and Brother-in-Law

New revelations emerge that Hugh Rodham, Hillary Clinton’s brother, received $400,000 in payments for successfully lobbying President Clinton to grant a pardon to Almon Glenn Braswell, a businessman under investigation for money laundering, and a commutation for convicted drug trafficker Carlos Vignali. Braswell paid Rodham $200,000, and the Vignali family paid another $200,000. Both Bill and Hillary Clinton claim they were “deeply disturbed” by the news and unaware of the payments, asking that the money be returned, which Rodham does under intense public pressure.

Separately, a congressional report reveals that Roger Clinton, the President’s brother, was “cold-calling applicants offering to get them clemency in return for cash,” telling at least one applicant it would cost $100,000 to secure a pardon. The report documents that Roger Clinton received at least $335,000 in unexplained travelers’ checks from sources including Taiwan, South Korea, and Venezuela, and potentially received a substantial portion of $225,000 from the family of convicted felon Garland Lincecum. Roger Clinton himself had received a presidential pardon for 1985 drug charges after having served his entire sentence more than a decade earlier.

While investigations found no evidence that President Clinton knew about the payments to his brother or brother-in-law, the scandal raises serious questions about the integrity of the presidential pardon process and the potential for family members to profit from their proximity to power. The House report “Justice Undone” documents these and other irregularities in Clinton’s clemency decisions, particularly those granted in his final hours in office when traditional Justice Department review processes were bypassed.