Sheriff Jenkins Walks Free After Trump Brands Biden DOJ ‘Radical Left Monsters’

Written by: Michael Phillips

CULPEPER, VIRGINIA — In a surprise post issued this afternoon, President Donald J. Trump announced a full and unconditional pardon for former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, just one day before Jenkins was scheduled to begin serving a 10-year federal prison sentence. Trump’s pardon follows an April 6 open letter published by Breaking Through News that urged the President to intervene, calling the case a politically motivated prosecution.

“Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden DOJ,” Trump wrote. He accused the judge in Jenkins’ trial of suppressing exculpatory evidence and called the case “an overzealous” act of political vengeance. “He doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail.”

The President’s statement closely mirrors the concerns raised in Breaking Through News’ open letter, authored by Editor Sam Orlando, which characterized Jenkins’ sentencing as excessive and politically tainted. Jenkins, a decorated law enforcement officer and staunch Trump ally, was convicted earlier this year of appointing campaign donors to unpaid auxiliary deputy positions—conduct prosecutors portrayed as a bribery scheme.

Critics, including Orlando’s editorial, argued that Jenkins was selectively targeted. The letter drew comparisons to Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith, who operated a similarly controversial auxiliary deputy program—one that included appointments of close friends and romantic partners—and faced scrutiny from a federal grand jury. Smith was accused of lying under oath in connection with the federal trial of his partner, Felix Chujoy, who was convicted on charges including human trafficking, witness tampering, and immigration fraud.

Despite the gravity of the allegations and testimony linking Smith to possible perjury, the Biden Justice Department declined to prosecute. According to sources cited in the editorial, DOJ officials expressed concern that prosecuting Virginia’s only openly gay sheriff could trigger backlash from progressive allies and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups.

This discrepancy, the editorial argued, exposed a troubling double standard—what it called a case of "reverse DEI": a justice system shaped more by optics than fairness, where the appearance of equity overrides equal application of the law.

“Justice must be blind. And it certainly should not depend on political affiliation,” the editorial stated.

Trump’s pardon now validates that argument, asserting that Jenkins’ conviction was politically engineered. “This Sheriff is a victim… and left for dead,” Trump said, promising Jenkins a “wonderful and productive life” instead of a prison term.

Jenkins, who maintained his innocence, is now fully absolved. The pardon underscores the expanding reach of presidential clemency under Trump’s second term and marks a rare moment where an editorial call for justice was swiftly and directly answered by the White House.