I wonder if the government could argue that pardoning itself would be an official act but taking money would not be? That no inquiring into motive bit causes tensions there, but taking money (or attempting to do so) is a separate act from the exercise of the power motivated by it...
I do wonder where the immunity ruling leaves the claim that Rudy Giuliani and Trump were trying to sell pardons for $2 million. Pardons are an official act.
