Trump’s pardons highlight Justice Department’s pullback from public corruption cases

WASHINGTON – The government’s evidence against Scott Jenkins was convincing, including the secret video and other assurances that show Jenkins, then Sharif Colaber County, Virginia, acceptance More than 75,000 dollars In exchange for granting law enforcement authority to local businessmen, in addition to two special agents at the FBI.

The defendant, Jenkins, admitted that they were guilty, and jurors did not take a long time to condemn Jenkins last year, trading about two hours before they owed all charges. When Genkens was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in March, the American lawyer in the West Province in Virginia said that he “violated his right from his position and the faith that the Collipper County citizens put in it when he participated in a critical plan for Bades.”

But on Monday, President Donald Trump announced that he was healing Jenkins, describing him as “a victim of the excessive Ministry of Justice” not worth spending one day in prison. He is part of a wider pattern for Trump, who was amnesty in the first few months of his second term at least from four former governmental employees who were convicted of financial plans.

Trump, who faced two federal criminal issues that were dropped after his re -election in November, have long argued that he was a victim of the Ministry of Justice and the Federal Investigation Office, and was sympathetic to those who make similar allegations, especially those who agreed with him politically.

In February, pardon Trump Road Blagovic, a former governor of Illinois, Who reduced his punishment in 2020After being convicted of corruption related to bribery. (Blagojevich attended the 2024 Republican Conference to support Trump.) Trump Pardon the Republican The former Senator in Tennessee Brian Kelly In March, it is slightly more than two weeks in the prison sentence for 21 months for condemning fraud related to the financing of the campaign. (Tennessee’s Republican colleague appealed to Trump to pardon Kelissi, who thanked him for his release from prison and said that “God used Donald Trump to save me”) last month, Trump Pardon the former Republican member of the Las Vegas Michel FiorThat was appointed to be sentenced this month after being convicted of conspiracy and defrauding wires related to collecting donations. (Fior had raised her political life for Trump and benefited from his support while supporting his wrong statements about the voters’ fraud in the 2020 elections).

These four numbers and their amnesty are not the only evidence to cancel the confirmation of the Ministry of Justice in public corruption cases. In the early days of the administration, the Ministry of Justice as well The campaign financing the campaign was dropped Against the former Republican MP Jeff Forte from Nebraska, who was scheduled to be tried next month.

The Trump administration also moved to Disconception of the issue of corruption against the mayor of New York Eric AdamsThat led Many Ministry of Justice officials to resign protest.

The issues of Adams and Jenkins are linked, among other things, through the General Integrity Department of the Ministry of Justice. The section, which focuses on raising cases against public officials accused of violating the law, I shrunk in both size and influence During the Trump administration. Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington Field Closing the General Corruption Squad This focused on federal corruption.

“The Virgin from Sharif, who took money to the MP, is the latest in a series of measures this president has taken to undermine any effort to hold officials accountable for the public who swore to the service,” said Stacy Young, a former official in the Ministry of Justice, a network of graduates of the Ministry of Justice.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

“Make Virginia great again”

It is not clear how Jenkins’ case initially fell on the White House radar, but she found a supporter in Ed Martin, the conservative activist Trump initially put the responsibility of the US Public Prosecutor’s Office in Washington before he recently called the American amnesty lawyer. Martin Books on x It was “overwhelming happiness” Jenkins was the first pardon since he took this position: “Congratulations, Sherif Jenkins: Do great things and make us proud.”

On the topic of Trump’s thanks for the pardon of Jenkins, Martin – and he is also Director of the Weapons Working Group of the Ministry of Justice – books“No Maja left behind.”

Last week, Martin met with the White House, “Pardon Caesar”, Alice Mary Johnson, who is a life sentence to condemn drugs Trump exceeded during his first term. Trump later Johnson gave a complete amnesty.

In an interview with Trump’s son -in -law Lara Trump, which was broadcast on Fox News this month, Johnson said She was declining cases of people who spent a long time behind bars, as well as “Lawfare victims, in the same way that our president was.”

The Ministry of Justice official said Martin was keen to participate in the Jenkins case after meetings with the White House and that he agreed to Trump’s decision and support him to issue a pardon.

Jenkins argued that he was targeted because of his conservative policies, including his immigration and rifles and the closure of Kovid. He has Private ruling noteJenkinz’s lawyers said he “strongly maintains his innocence.”

When Jenkins was under investigation, he and other mayors discussed the possibility of “flying to a secret site to watch the Hunter Biden laptop, then charge against Hunter Biden based on any illustrated crimes on it,” his lawyer Written in the ruling note.

The government said that Jenkins was hurt in the trial, which falsely witnessed that the co -defendant, Rick Rahim, had given him a “commercial investment” because Jenkins had carried copyright for the slogan “made Virginia great again” and that they were investing in shirts and red hats. Prosecutors argued that the discussions about “making America are great again” did not take place until after Rahim pushed Jenkins, which was aimed at helping him to restore firearms rights.

Last week, Prosecutors asked the judge To the ruling on Rahim, who admitted to being guilty, to 27 months in prison, saying that Jenkins made Rahim a “helicopter” in exchange for bribes and pushed his contact to restore weapons rights even though Rahim did not live in the province.

Prosecutors said that the recordings that captured Jenkins put the scheme in clear terms after he was frustrated because Rahim was paying for more preferences.

“I appreciate what a support you give me, but you did not do it for the Notein,” Jenkins said in a recorded conversation in 2022. According to the court’s presentation. “We have followed it up. Another honest name in the entire state of Virginia would do so.”

Jenkins’ lawyer did not respond to a comment, and did not get a recorded phone number to Jenkins to any response.

Meanwhile, more pardon may be for Trump’s supporters in the pipeline.

Tuesday, Trump invited two sons of the Reality TV TV and Julie Chrisley He told them that their parents would get pardoned for bank fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy. One of their daughters, the star of reality, Savana Chrisley, spoke on their behalf at the Republican National Congress last year, and recently appeared on a Fox sector news With Trump’s son -in -law Lara Trump.

“When I saw it clearly, what the president was going through, what I was dealing with, it was a frightening similar,” Savana Chrisley said in the interview.

Martin recently met the lawyer Peter Tekteten, who submitted pardon requests to the members of the children and the right guards, like I mentioned for the first time by politico. While most of the defendants on January 6 obtained a complete amnesty, Trump initially reduced the provisions of some of the two right-wing groups of the two extremist groups, and they were imprisoned but preserving condemnation and side consequences-such as deprivation of certain rights-which are compatible with them.

“There are many reasons,” Tikin, who went to the New York Military Academy with Trump, told NBC News. “No promises have been made about what can be done; this is not the way you work. We offer it and then hope for the best.”