Boosie Badazz is pushing back against questions surrounding the $600,000 he paid lobbyists Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl while seeking a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. The situation recently gained more attention after Boosie appeared in a 60 Minutes investigation into the business surrounding presidential pardons. Boosie says he paid Burkman and Wohl's firm in 2025 to advocate for clemency in his federal gun case. The pardon never came, and he is now fighting to recover $300,000 of the money.
In a new video, Boosie defended his decision to hire the lobbyists after he says people were in his DMs saying it was illegal. Boosie explained that paying someone to advocate for a pardon isn't the same as paying the president for one.
"I ain't do nothing illegal," he said. "What's illegal is when you take the funds and just stick them in your pocket and you don’t do nothing with the funds."
Based on the facts currently reported, simply hiring and paying lobbyists to advocate for a presidential pardon is not, by itself, illegal. That part of Boosie’s statement is broadly correct.
Boosie Argues He's Within Reason
Boosie Badazz found himself at the center of a surprising political story this week after details emerged about the $600,000 he paid Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman to help secure a presidential pardon. The two conservative political operatives, who have previously been convicted on fraud-related charges, allegedly agreed to lobby on Boosie’s behalf for a pardon from President Donald Trump.
According to the reported agreement, they had until January 31, 2026, to deliver. Months later, Boosie still hasn’t received a pardon and is now seeking the return of $300,000. He has also accused Wohl and Burkman of exaggerating their connections to powerful political figures who they claimed could help his case. More recently, the Baton Rouge rapper shared alleged messages between himself and the pair as he publicly questioned whether those connections ever existed.
Burkman and Wohl, meanwhile, have denied wrongdoing. The dispute remains unresolved, meaning Boosie's accusations against the pair are still allegations rather than established findings of fraud.
For Boosie, though, the distinction is clear. He maintains that hiring lobbyists wasn't the problem. His issue is what he claims happened to his money after he hired them.
