The stench of rotting justice hangs heavy over Washington tonight, as Donald Trump—the same man who once promised to “drain the swamp”—has instead thrown open its gates to the most brazen crooks, con men, and corrupt lawmen in the land.
His latest act of executive clemency?
A full pardon for Scott Jenkins, the disgraced former sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, who was caught red-handed in a cash-for-badges scheme so cartoonishly corrupt it could have been ripped from the pages of a dime-store crime novel.
Jenkins, a man who once swore an oath to uphold the law, instead spent his time selling it—hawking deputy sheriff badges like carnival prizes to any shady businessman willing to slip him an envelope of cash. $75,000 in bribes, federal prosecutors proved. Ten years in prison, a jury decided. Zero remorse, Jenkins displayed.
And now? Total impunity, courtesy of a president who has made it his mission to pardon every crooked cop, insurrectionist, and white-collar thief who kisses his ring.
Lisa McCormick, the anti-establishment progressive who shocked New Jersey’s political machine by nearly toppling indicted Senator Bob Menendez in 2018, didn’t mince words:
“Donald Trump doesn’t respect law and order—he respects loyalty. He doesn’t care about justice—he cares about power. And now, with the stroke of a pen, he’s sent a message to every corrupt official in America: Crime pays, as long as you’re on the right team.“
She’s right. This isn’t just about Jenkins. This is about a pattern, a blueprint for lawlessness that Trump has been drafting since his first day in office:
- 237 pardons in his first term, many handed to political allies, fraudsters, and war criminals.
- 1,500 pardons for January 6 terrorists—his very first act upon retaking the White House.
- Now, a sheriff who turned his badge into a bribe menu, walking free before he even set foot in a prison cell.
Despite Trump’s first-term pardons, the failed coup d’etat, and his avalanche of criminal convictions, indictments, and civil court verdicts ranging from sexual assault to fraud, police unions lined up to endorse him in 2024, proving they have no loyalty to justice.
The image above shows Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan, Col. Rick Fuentes, and Lt. Col. Jeffrey Mottley in the White House presenting Trump a plaque bearing the number “45” making him an honorary member of the New Jersey State Police. Gov. Phil Murphy has ignored calls to replace Callahan, in the wake of two scathing reports that found systemic failures in how the New Jersey State Police treat female troopers and troopers of color.
McCormick said that Murphy’s inaction, double standards, and the two-tiered justice system in America reveal a bipartisan system of corruption that voters have an obligation to cure.
The Cash-for-Badges Carnival
Let’s not pretend Jenkins was some misunderstood public servant.
The evidence was irrefutable:
- He took cash bribes from businessmen—some of them convicted felons—in exchange for deputy sheriff credentials.
- He pressured local officials to help one of those felons, Rick Rahim, get his gun rights back—despite Rahim not even living in Culpeper County.
- He turned law enforcement into a pay-to-play racket, handing out badges like VIP passes to a nightclub.
And yet, here we are. Ten years of hard time? Gone.
A message that corruption has consequences? Erased.
The Real Crime? The System That Allows It
McCormick has long warned that America’s bribery laws are a joke, thanks to a Supreme Court that has spent decades gutting them.
The 2016 McDonnell decision made it nearly impossible to prosecute politicians for corruption unless they signed a contract exchanging cash for votes.
Bipartisan lawmakers—including Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC)—are trying to fix that with the GOLD Standard Act, which would finally close the loopholes that let crooked officials like Jenkins (and Menendez) skate free.
But will it pass? Or will Trump’s pardoning spree send the message that accountability is dead?
The Menendez Pardon Watch
Speaking of Menendez—yes, that Menendez, the one scheduled to report to prison for taking gold bars from foreign dictators—rumors are swirling that he’s next on Trump’s pardon list.
Think about that. A sitting senator, caught with literal bags of cash and gold, acting as a foreign agent—and Trump might just wipe it all away.
McCormick, who nearly beat Menendez in 2018, put it bluntly: “This is how the game works. The rich and powerful protect their own, while the rest of us rot in jail for petty crimes. Trump and Menendez are two sides of the same coin—one sells out to dictators, the other pardons the crooks who kiss his ring.”
This isn’t just about one corrupt sheriff. It’s about a justice system that no longer believes in justice. It’s about a president who rewards criminals while locking up whistleblowers. It’s about a country where bribery is legal if you’re powerful enough, and pardons are just another perk of the elite.
Lisa McCormick is right: We need to outlaw bribery. We need to reverse Reaganomics. And we need to take a sledgehammer to this rotten system before it collapses under the weight of its own corruption.
But tonight? Tonight, Scott Jenkins is laughing all the way home—and Donald Trump just proved, once again, that in his America, crime doesn’t just pay… it gets a presidential seal of approval.