Rapper Boosie Badazz appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday, September 13, 2026, in a segment examining the growing “pardon economy” of brokers who charge large fees to pursue presidential clemency.
The Baton Rouge artist, whose legal name is Torrence Hatch Jr., sat down with correspondent Lesley Stahl to discuss paying $600,000 to political operatives Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl of JM Burkman & Associates. Boosie said he was led to believe the payment would secure a pardon from President Donald Trump for a federal firearms conviction that resulted in three years of supervised release, community service, and a fine. “This is what I was led to believe: If you come with this money, you will get a pardon,” he told Stahl. The pardon never materialized.
Boosie said the agreement called for half the money to be returned if clemency failed. When it did not, he demanded a refund. “I said, ‘Just return [the money], you didn’t get my pardon, it’s a bunch of BS.’ And they were SO cocky,” he told the program. Burkman has denied there was a refund provision and said his firm “tried very, very hard.” Boosie has pursued an arbitration claim seeking at least a partial refund and additional compensation.
The 60 Minutes piece, titled “The Pardon Economy,” placed Boosie’s case in a broader investigation of brokers charging hundreds of thousands—and in some instances millions—of dollars with no guarantee of results. The report included hidden-camera footage of similar pitches.
After the episode aired, Boosie posted that he had given an hour-long interview but that “only a few things got put out.” He said the broadcast omitted details he considered important, including a meeting with White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson and claims that the operatives told his team the president had signed a pardon. “My story wasn’t told fully,” he wrote, adding that he hoped the interview would still help his civil case.
The appearance also sparked online debate in hip-hop circles about whether discussing the failed deal on a major news program constituted “snitching.” The segment marked an unusual crossover for the veteran Southern rapper onto one of television’s most established investigative programs.
SOURCES:
Boosie Badazz Talks To ’60 Minutes’ About Alleged Pardon Scam
Boosie Badazz Details $600K Trump Pardon Deal on ’60 Minutes’
Rapper chasing Trump pardon erupts that ’60 Minutes’ buried what mattered most – Raw Story
60 Minutes – CBS News
Southern District of California | Rapper Torrence Ivy Hatch aka “Boosie Badazz” Sentenced for Felon in Possession of a Firearm | United States Department of Justice
