White House Says Boosie BadAzz Pardon Push Had No Trump Ties, Could Hurt Clemency Bid

Boosie BadAzz may have been sold a pardon pitch with a presidential sheen, but the White House is now saying the men he paid had no real connection to the Trump administration and, if anything, could complicate his chances for clemency.

On Wednesday, July 15, an administration official told The Breakfast Club’s Loren LoRosa that Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl were not working with the White House in any capacity. That matters because Boosie is currently suing the pair, accusing them of taking $600,000 from him in exchange for what he believed was a guaranteed pardon that never came through.

“A White House official made it clear in a statement to me that they DO NOT support the work of Wohl or Burkman (the men boosie sued) and allege that anyone seeking clemency that involve these men will actively harm their chances,” LoRosa wrote on X. The message from the administration was blunt enough to undercut any idea that the duo were acting with official backing.

LoRosa also said the White House confirmed it had received a pardon request from Boosie’s attorney, Meghan Blanco. But that, the official stressed, should not be read as anything more than paperwork landing in the right place. “Receipt of documents should not be taken to mean anything other than documents have been received,” LoRosa quoted the official as saying. The administration also noted that Trump “finds it detestable that anyone would even attempt to profit off pardons.”

Elsewhere, Burkman is pushing back. In a statement to XXL, Jack Burkman of JM Burkman & Associates said he did nothing wrong in helping advocate for Boosie’s pardon request. He argued that timing problems and the rapper’s unexpected legal issues kept the petition from being reviewed before it ran out of runway. Burkman also maintained that there was never any agreement to return half of the retainer fee.