WASHINGTON, DC – Earlier this spring, Law Enforcement Today brought you the story about former Culpeper County, VA., Sheriff Scott Jenkins. As with many who dared defy the Biden administration’s immigration policies (if you can call them that), Culpeper found himself on the receiving end of the Biden DOJ’s lawfare campaign, which also targeted President Trump.
After hearing Sheriff Jenkins’ story, Law Enforcement Today urged the administration to issue a pardon to Sheriff Jenkins, whose only crime was being a supporter of President Trump. Thankfully, this week, the president did exactly that.
If one were to read the mainstream media outlets, one might think the president pardoned John Dillinger or Al Capone. The left-wing media lost its collective mind over the pardon of a man whom, in our conversation, came across as a man who was caught up in the same web of anti-conservative targeting as those who were sentenced to years in prison for the crime of parading on the US Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021.
Outlets from MSNBC to ABC News to The Guardian were apoplectic over the unconditional pardon granted to Jenkins by President Trump. What the outlets ignored were the questionable decisions made during the trial, which prevented Jenkins’ defense team from presenting exculpatory evidence, which the jury was not permitted to hear.
The presiding judge, Robert Ballou, went on an unhinged rant against Jenkins in court, accusing him of hiring “unqualified, unvetted people who were untrained and you didn’t train in law enforcement,” without allowing the defense to present the actual requirements of the position in court. Video and audio recordings that were clearly manipulated were presented as evidence by the prosecution, to which the defense objected.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump wrote: “Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden DOJ. In fact, during his trial, when Sheriff Jenkins tried to offer exculpatory evidence to support himself, the Biden Judge, Robert Ballou, refused to allow it, shut him down, and then went on a tirade.
“As we have seen, in Federal, City, and State Courts, Radical Left or Liberal Judges allow into evidence what they feel like, not what is mandated under the Constitution and Rules of Evidence,” Trump continued. “This Sheriff is a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice and doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail.”
President Trump was assisted in reviewing Jenkins’ case by Ed Martin, whom the president initially tapped to be the US Attorney for the District of Columbia. That nomination was withdrawn when it appeared Martin would face rough sailing in the Senate, and instead, Trump selected him to be the Justice Department’s new pardon attorney. Martin was instrumental in obtaining Jenkins’ pardon.
Law Enforcement Today spoke with U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin to find out how the pardon came about.
“The president is so good on his support for law enforcement officers, and the challenges they face,” Martin told LET. “He always had a real commitment to the men and women and law enforcement, you know, his whole life.”
The former executive director for conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly said the Jenkins pardon sends the right message to LEOs and his supporters that Trump has his back.
“The President’s done that really well with the sheriff, Sheriff Jenkins. Once the President realized the timing,” Martin said. “You know, that Jenkins was going to end up having to report to jail the next day, and it would have probably endangered his life, he was like: ‘Let’s just do this now.’”
Jenkins, who was sentenced to a ten-year prison term, was scheduled to report to jail on May 27. Thanks to President Trump, that is no longer the case.
“So it is, you know, wherever we can find, I think opportunities to present to the President to do the things he believes in, to protect law enforcement, you know, the forgotten men and women in this country,” he said. “He’s going to look for opportunities to help folks, so it’s pretty darn exciting. He’s really pretty amazing.”
Martin told us that he believed the Biden DOJ targeted Jenkins because of his outspoken views on the Second Amendment and illegal immigration.
He said Jenkins fell victim because, being in a small town, the issuance of an auxiliary deputy badge isn’t like someone handing out police badges in large cities such as Chicago, for example.
It is similar to a courtesy card given out in large cities as a quasi-get-out-of-a-ticket card,” he said.
“It’s not a corruption thing,” said the former District of Columbia U.S. Attorney, who now serves as the Director of the Weaponization Working Group, in addition to his Pardon Office duties.
“Jenkins was engaging in a way to keep the community together,” he said.
“These are small communities. These are all the same caliber of people that are taking care of each other and all, and, that’s all this guy was doing in a way that was,” he said. “Jenkins was probably one of the better guys in the community, like one of the guys who holds things together in a special way–and he gets targeted,” Martin said.
“He’s a pro-Second Amendment, conservative white guy. He went after the 287g designation to get the illegals long before anybody else. That was, you know, he was ahead of like Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio—he went that far back,” the Weaponization Czar said. 287g is the program where local law enforcement cooperates with federal immigration law enforcement.
“And so, he’s targeted for having all those characteristics that are unacceptable to Biden, you know, and their people. And then more importantly, they use the stupid, slippery, sneaky law that makes it so you can go before a jury and say, ‘Oh look, he was, you know, not [using] honest services.’”
The Honest Services Act, while still on the books, has been significantly clipped and narrowed by the Supreme Court, most famously when the high court voted 9-0 in 2016 to overturn the conviction of Republican Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell—a prosecution brought by Jack Smith.
Martin said the prosecution of Jenkins was suspect, and so was his sentencing.
“It’s like the worst of word games to try to penalize somebody–and then 10 years? I mean, you could run over your granny and you wouldn’t get 10 years—and he’s getting 10 years,” said the New Jersey native, who spent most of his professional life in Missouri.
“It was a great one, and I’m really proud to be able to help the president get this done,” he said.
Martin told us that much of what he does is driven by his faith.
“I’m a big believer that the Lord’s got to forgive us because we’re broken, and we’re all broken, and that’s one of the great miracles that you know, we are given this gift of Christ dying for our sins,” he said.
“For our brokenness, there are a lot of people who went to jail for something, and they’re in there 20 years or something, and they’re asking to get a commutation, and in the time, they’ve been in there, they’ve maybe found Christ and their life’s turned around,” said the graduate of Saint Louis University Law School.
“We’re all given a second chance by Jesus Christ. And so, you know, for me, it’s kind of participating in, in a way, a ministry,” Martin said.
In closing our conversation, Ed Martin told us that he’s open to identifying men and women who are worthy of pardons or commutations and asked readers of Law Enforcement Today to reach out if they are aware of any deserving individuals who should be considered.
“And, you know, when it comes to the weaponization of government, a lot of times it’s Christians and men and women of faith, especially during COVID of course, they were targeted So you know, in any capacity, if I could be of a help to your readers, I’m more than happy to.
“It’s an important time to double down on prayer and double down on the Lord’s word. And you know, that’s the strength. Anything I can do to help your readers or your folks, let me know.”
President Trump selected the right person at the right time and placed him in the right position.
