Justice Department investigating an alleged 'secret lobbying scheme' to obtain a presidential pardon

• Court documents released Tuesday show the Department of Justice is investigating an alleged plot to bribe President Donald Trump for a presidential pardon.
• As first reported by CNN, the documents do not state who is alleged to have taken part in any such effort and a "related bribery conspiracy scheme."
• According to federal investigators, the plot involved an offer of "a substantial political contribution in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence."

The US Department of Justice is investigating an alleged "secret lobbying scheme" to obtain a pardon from President Donald Trump, according to court documents revealed on Tuesday.

As first reported by CNN, the documents do not state who is alleged to have taken part in any such lobbying effort and a "related bribery conspiracy scheme," which is described as an offer of "a substantial political contribution in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence."

Two persons are being investigated for having "acted as lobbyists to senior White House officials" without registering as such, according to the Department of Justice, which has seized "over fifty digital devices, including iPhones, iPads, laptops, thumb drives, and computer and external hard drives" related to the case, according to the federal government.

The partially redacted filings — several pages are blacked out — were released by the US District Court for the District of Columbia, which has been overseeing the case since the summer.

In a December 1 order, Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell rejected state arguments for keeping the documents under seal, ruling that they could in fact be released provided that personally-identifying information was redacted.

Judge Howell also ordered the government to file, by November 30, 2021, a status report on the case addressing whether additional information "may be further unsealed."

The Justice Department had sought to keep the investigation private because the court documents describe "invididuals and conduct" that are not yet subject to prosecution, Reuters reported.

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But in a statement to NBC News, a senior department official said "no government official was or is currently a subject or target of the investigation disclosed in the filing."

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

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