Exclusive | Ex-pardon czar Ed Martin rips claims of clemency corruption, laments admin losing early momentum: Everybodys tired

WASHINGTON — Former US pardon attorney Ed Martin likened accusations about cash for clemency plaguing President Trump’s orbit to the “Russia hoax” and lamented that the administration lost momentum from its early days to dramatically transform the government.Martin, 56, who stepped down as pardon attorney last month, blasted a scathing “60 Minutes” report this month about the rise of so-called “pardon brokers,” who charge clients exorbitant fees to leverage their ties to Trump world and claim they can secure clemency.“The season premiere of 60 Minutes has a story on pardons, and ‘Oh my gosh, there’s people making money on pardons,'” Martin vented on the “Pod Force One” podcast.“To me, this is like the Russia hoax.”“I don’t believe what Leslie Stahl was peddling.”“60 Minutes” aired hidden camera footage of the so-called “pardon brokers” Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl who touted their ability to “put pressure on the president from all directions in a consistent way, to force his hand.”But the former pardon honcho dismissed those men as “clowns” and “snake oil salesmen” who were misleading clients about their ability to actually secure clemency.

Martin, who briefly helmed the administration’s Weaponization Working Group, recounted how he met with over 1,000 individuals during his 15-month stint to adjudicate whether clemency — a pardon or commutation — was warranted.“Donald Trump should get credit, not blame; he should get credit for changing the way we look at commutations and pardons, because most of the presidents, Bill Clinton, [George] W.[Bush], [Barack] Obama, even [Joe] Biden, did their pardons in the dark of night on their way out the door,” he said.During his lengthy interview with The Post’s Miranda Devine, Martin also wished that the Trump administration had pushed its agenda to transform the federal bureaucracy even more aggressively.

“I’m reminded, first of all, of our first two or th...