Democrats Press RFK Jr. and Zeldin on Their Roles in Trump Pardons, Setting Up a Midterm Oversight Fight
Four lawmakers want answers by Oct. 20 on pardons for Nikola founder Trevor Milton and Colorado mechanic Troy Lake. A win in November would give Democrats subpoena power.
Democratic lawmakers are pressing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to explain what part they may have played in pardons granted by President Trump. In letters sent Tuesday, they asked both men to answer questions by Oct. 20 so Congress can "better understand the extent to which influence and access have overridden the standard pardon review process."
The letters were signed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Peter Welch of Vermont and Reps. Dave Min of California and Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania. Democrats have few ways to force answers while in the minority. But winning the House or Senate in November would give them subpoena power, and pardons are expected to be a top oversight target if they do. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said last month that lawmakers are preparing to investigate "everybody along the assembly line of clemency for cash."
The letter to Kennedy centers on Trevor Milton, the entrepreneur convicted in 2022 of lying to investors about his electric truck company Nikola. Trump pardoned Milton in March 2025, after Milton and his wife donated almost $2 million to a political committee aligned with Trump's reelection and $750,000 to the Make America Healthy Again Alliance PAC, which is aligned with Kennedy's agenda, according to Federal Election Commission records. The letter cites a June Reuters report that Kennedy advocated for the pardon. A source close to Kennedy told CBS News the secretary has said privately that he will not advocate for any pardons. HHS and Milton did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The letter to Zeldin concerns Troy Lake, a Colorado diesel mechanic convicted in 2024 of violating the Clean Air Act, the law that governs air pollution. Lake spent seven months in federal prison. His pardon was backed by Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and helped along by Wyoming political consultant and lobbyist Jeff Daugherty. The lawmakers cited a statement from Lake's wife that appeared to credit Zeldin with getting the case in front of the White House.
The letters build on a September CBS News investigation into what it called a new pardon economy and the brokers working it. The reporting included video of lobbyists offering to "put pressure on the president" in exchange for a large fee from a convicted felon. Blumenthal is the ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which has broad authority to examine "inefficiency, mismanagement, and corruption in government."
The letters show how Democrats plan to use any new majority, and they put Cabinet officials on record before voters head to the polls on Nov. 3. Whether Kennedy and Zeldin answer by the Oct. 20 deadline will be an early sign of how the administration intends to handle the oversight fight.
