The $3.5 million pardon (and why I took this story to London)
You might have noticed fewer posts on Hacking, but Legal lately.
That’s because for the last few weeks, I’ve been tracking a story that was too sensitive, and frankly too dangerous, to publish without the backing of a major institutional partner.
I needed an outlet that wouldn’t blink when the names “Trump,” “Putin,” and “FBI” appeared in the same paragraph. I needed a publisher that regards being sanctioned by the Russian Federation as a badge of honor, not a legal liability.
That is why my new investigation, “Trump Pardon Buries FBI’s Secret Work for Putin’s Oligarchs,” is the lead exclusive story today in Byline Times.
The Investigation
We discovered that President Trump’s recent pardon of former FBI agent Mark Rossini wasn’t just a favor—it was a burial.
The Money: I tracked $3.5 million in donations to a Trump-aligned Super PACsfrom the family of Rossini’s co-defendant.
The Cover-up: We explain how the defense may have used “graymail”—threatening to expose national security secrets in open court—to force the DOJ to crumble.
The Result: The pardon didn’t just free a man; it permanently sealed the records of what US intelligence officials were secretly doing for sanctioned Russian networks.
Writing for Byline Times allowed me to document this complex “graymail” legal maneuver with the rigor it demands. Their editors and legal team are fearless, and they are one of the few outlets left willing to print the uncomfortable truth about the intersection of oligarch money and American justice.
Please read the full investigation here: https://bylinetimes.com/2026/02/11/trump-pardon-buries-fbis-secret-work-for-putins-oligarchs
Thank you for supporting Hacking, but Legal. It was your support that funded this investigation, and Byline Times that fearlessly gave it a home. If you want to support more reporting on what the papers don't say, please consider subscribing.
Best,
Jackie Singh
Amazing article. It definitely starts to answer questions that far too many people, and journalistic outlets, have thus far refused to voice or acknowledge. Most importantly, how we're expected to believe that everything that's been revealed in the Epstein scandal, Trump's endless onslaught against America and the rule of law, and the countless other international crimes that have been exposed over the past few decades, were able to be carried out while our NSA, CIA, and FBI remained none the wiser?
Fact is, that's impossible to believe, which only leaves two other possible conclusions in my humble opinion.
1. Our national security agencies did know about all of these foreign entanglements, operations, international high crimes, and potential treason and did nothing, spanning multiple Democratic and Republican led administrations. A conclusion that defies logical explanation unless we consider that at least at some level, these institutions have likely been deeply compromised for decades.
Or...
2. These agencies not only knew about all of it, but were also directly and/or indirectly involved in coordinating and carrying out these geopolitical, and at times criminal, operations.
Of course, this is purely speculation on my part but, it's difficult for me to rationalize every insane thing we've been experiencing and learning in recent years without drawing those conclusions.