ProPublica obtained correspondence on behalf of pardon applicants between elected officials and the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney through a Freedom of Information Act request. Below are the 10 elected officials who wrote on behalf of the most applicants. For all of the letters and emails, see our document dive.
Petitioner | Total Letters Written | Total Individuals Supported | Committee Assignments | Pardon Rate | Donors |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss. | 14 | 10 |
|
1 of 10 pardoned | None found |
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga. | 8 | 7 |
|
0 pardoned | William Clark and Robert Reeves |
Rep. John M. Spratt Jr., D-S.C. | 6 | 5 |
| 1 of 5 pardoned | None found |
Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C. | 8 | 4 |
|
0 pardoned | None found |
Sen. John Breaux, D-La. | 6 | 4 |
|
0 pardoned | None found |
Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn. | 5 | 4 |
|
0 pardoned | Frank Vennes Jr. (redacted) |
Rep. John J. Duncan Jr., R-Tenn. | 5 | 4 |
|
0 pardoned | None found |
Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala. | 4 | 4 |
|
0 pardoned | Republican donor |
Sen. David Vitter, R-La. | 4 | 4 |
|
0 pardoned | None found |
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. | 7 | 3 |
|
1 of 3 pardoned | None |