But the involvement of Mr. Lucas demonstrates how Mr. Trump appears to be mostly bypassing the traditional process of taking clemency recommendations from the Justice Department and is instead blessing the wishes of the well-connected.

About 10,000 applications for clemency sit with the Justice Department.

While other presidents have also gone ahead of Justice officials to pardon apparent allies, they have often waited until their final days in office to do so. Mr. Trump, by comparison, has issued high-profile pardons early and comparatively often — seemingly unconcerned by the appearance of leaning his ears toward those at the top.

Mr. Lucas, 76, founded Protect the Harvest, the activist group, to support ranchers, farmers and animal owners who oppose “radical groups” that seek to “pass laws or enact regulations that would restrict our rights, limit our freedoms, and hinder our access to safe, affordable food.”

The way Mr. Duquette tells it, Mr. Lucas got involved with the Hammond case around 2015.

The oil magnate mentioned the case to Mr. Pence, who was at the time the governor of Indiana. Then the governor became the vice president. Mr. Lucas mentioned the case again, and the vice president declared “he wanted to see it, he wanted his chief counsel to look at it,” Mr. Duquette said.

“We’ve been making the request since he’s been in office. Every time we get a chance to talk to him.”

Mr. Pence’s staff examined the case, Mr. Duquette said, and then it moved to the president’s office.

Soon afterward, Mr. Trump signed a pardon, the Hammonds were released, and on Wednesday, Mr. Lucas sent his private jet to pick the pair up from a California prison.