In the spirit of mercy and justice, grassroots leaders are calling on President Trump to take bold action against decades of Department of Justice abuse by issuing regular pardons and commutations for political prisoners, whistleblowers, and victims of prosecutorial misconduct.
In Trump’s first day in office, he pardoned more than 1,500 of the persecuted January 6th protesters, as well as pardoning the double life sentence of Ross Ulbricht.
Now, Ulbricht’s mother and others are asking the President to go even further, and more regularly, to undo the damage done to America from Obama and Biden’s Department of Justice.
“Forgiveness Fridays would be a fantastic opportunity for President Trump to demonstrate his compassion and love of second chances, while bringing relief to the many who can safely be returned to their families and communities,“ Lyn La Cava Ulbricht, founder of “Mothers against Cruel Sentencing,” said to the Gateway Pundit.
Trump has already appointed leader and conservative champion attorney Ed Martin as the “Pardon Attorney” for the Department of Justice six weeks ago.
But since Martin’s May appointment, pardons have not yet increased.
Trump’s mercy in this respect, activists suspect, is due in no small part to the enormous lawfare deployed by the militant left against Trump for years. Not only was Trump subjected to the Russiagate hoax in his first term, but also the two impeachment efforts based on lies, as well as the lawfare by Letitia James in New York against him, as well as politically-motivated prosecutions by Jack Smith.
The left through everything it had against Trump in court, and always lost. But others who stood by the President, and whom the DOJ clearly practiced upon for years to develop their methods and caselaw to persecute their political opponents, are at risk of being forgotten.
Now, these conservative activists point out, Trump should reach back into the smaller cases that the Department of Justice prosecutions, to aid and remedy the wrongs the Department perpetrated against many other conservatives in recent years. The DOJ who had the audacity to sue and indict Trump, they say, practiced for decades on conservatives who couldn’t fund lawyers to fight back but who were similarly unfairly attacked.
The model urged is “Forgiveness Fridays.” A weekly show of strength, and compassion, by the 47th President of the United States.
Activists are asking Trump to pardon the victims of the Obama & Biden years every Friday, and are especially encouraging him to grant full pardons to those who were targeted for their politics, political activity, and often, their Christian faith.
The inspiration comes from the greatest example in history: Jesus Christ, who while being unjustly crucified pardoned a criminal next to Him on the cross. That act of divine mercy echoes across centuries. And it offers a sharp contrast to the modern American justice system, bloated by bureaucracy and rotted by partisan abuse.
Today, the DOJ has become a weapon of political revenge. Harmless citizens, religious conservatives, whistleblowers, and political dissidents are targeted—not for crimes, but for beliefs. Books like Three Felonies a Day by Harvey Silverglate and Licensed to Lie by Sidney Powell expose how the system is rigged: laws are endless, motives are corrupt, and justice is too often elusive.
It’s time for President Trump to flip the script.
By launching Forgiveness Fridays, President Trump can spotlight real victims of DOJ abuse—people who have been wrongfully convicted, overcharged, or targeted because of their politics or faith.
Here are just a few examples:
Randel Shelton – Refused to Bear False Witness
Shelton was a co-defendant in the Jon Woods case in Arkansas, and refused FBI pressure to lie in court because of his Christian faith. An FBI agent, Robert Cessario, later admitted to destroying 640MB of exculpatory evidence which should have been provided to the defense. Appeals courts have said that since Shelton and Woods cannot prove what was on the deleted drive, they can’t assume it was exculpatory. Shelton was punished for doing the right thing, while Cessario, the FBI agent who knowingly destroyed evidence, received probation after pleading guilty. The entire Woods prosecution is tainted.
Oren Paris III – Christian College President Targeted by Leftist Bigots
President of Ecclesia College, Paris was ensnared in the DOJ’s persecution of Christian institutions in Arkansas. His “crime”? Running a small Christian college while having the wrong political connections. Paris paid Woods as a consultant to help him get grants for his college. Woods had no control to steer the grants, but gave him general advice. Paris was sentenced to three years in prison.
Charlie Shrem – Crypto Pioneer
An early innovator in Bitcoin, Shrem helped build crypto infrastructure in America. The FBI made him a target as part of the “Silk Road” investigation. He was hit with bogus charges to make an example of him. His only crime was being ahead of the curve.
Philip Zodhiates – Christian Mail Vendor Branded a Kidnapper
Zodhiates was one of the largest conservative direct mail vendors in the country—distributing powerful literature critical of Obama. The FBI charged him with kidnapping for helping a friend and her child escape family court persecution. A disgrace to American justice. Zodhiates is currently being sued by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is seeking to destroy Zodhiates and stop the fundraising services he provides to social conservative organizations.
Congressman Steve Stockman – Enemy of the Clintons, Railroaded by the Feds
A conservative firebrand from Texas, Stockman was targeted by the notorious Jack Smith, the same DOJ hatchet man now targeting President Trump. Stockman was later granted clemency by Trump with a commutation on Christmas 2020. But Stockman and his wife are still being harassed financially by the IRS and DOJ. They claim Stockman misused a million dollars in non-profit money, and have tried to assess two million in fines and fees against Stockman, threatening to still send him back to prison despite his 2020 Presidential commutation from Trump. DOJ worked overtime to try and undo Trump’s pardon of Stockman by abusing the process against Stockman. It’s clear that the DOJ will not stop coming after its targets unless they are granted a full pardon.
Derek Chauvin – Officer involved in the death of George Floyd
The summer of 2020 was a political circus revolving around the death of George Floyd. The incendiary claim was that Chauvin had kneeled on Floyd’s neck while handcuffed. This claim was possible because the state’s insane Attorney General Keith Ellison suppressed exculpatory evidence from being released, including that Floyd said he was having breathing problems before he was laid on the ground, and that Floyd’s history included several violent crimes and drug crimes. Additionally, Floyd’s serious amount of Fentanyl in his system, 11 nanograms, where deaths have occurred with merely 3 nanograms, suggests that his symptoms of trouble breathing, labored breathing, and death was caused not by Chauvin but from consuming illegal drugs.
Video evidence even purports to show Floyd swallowing a white substance as the door to his vehicle opens. As well, the video appears to show Chauvin with his knee on Floyd’s shoulderblade, not his neck, and the knee he used was not bearing his weight. Meaning that Chauvin’s actions were likely not the cause of Floyd’s death. But the insane media circus around the case made the defense’s ability to present and argue that information impossible.
The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro has championed the pardon of Chauvin, and has been publicly asking Trump to pardon Chauvin. Chauvin was convicted in both state and federal cases, so a Presidential pardon would not free Chauvin, since Minnesota’s far-left Governor Tim Walz is a left-wing reactionary, but it would greatly simplify his appeals so that he might get justice.
Martin Gottesfeld – Pro-Life Tech Activist Silenced for Speaking Out
Gottesfeld launched a DDoS attack in protest of Boston Children’s Hospital after they unjustly stripped a young girl, Justina Pelletier, from her family and subjected her to abusive treatment. The hospital repeatedly misdiagnosed and mistreated the teen, and then accused the parents of abusing her, in an outrageous case. For defending a child’s life, Martin was sentenced to over 10 years. If he were a left-wing protester, he’d be celebrated on MSNBC. Gottesfeld received a five year sentence.
Aimee Harris & Robert Kurlander – Found Ashley Biden’s Diary and Sold It to Project Veritas
Ashley Biden left behind trash at her condo in Delray Beach. One of the items was her controversial diary, where she alleged sexualized showers with her father Joe Biden. Harris and Kurlander sold the diary for $40,000 to Project Veritas. Project Veritas never published the diary, but a staffer is alleged to have leaked it to the National File, which did. Far-left zealot Roberta Kaplan, attorney for Biden, then asked the Southern District of New York to prosecute everyone involved, which they did for years. Harris and Kurlander took a plea deal because the lawfare wore down their financial resources. Project Veritas said recently that it spent over $6.5 million defending against the prosecution of itself and its journalists. This political prosecution was vindictive. The government claimed that the sale of the diary was the “transportation of stolen goods across state lines” which was ridiculous all along.
Dimitri Kasari – Deputy campaign manager for Ron Paul’s 2012 campaign
Kasari was deputy campaign manager for Ron Paul, and was prosecuted in 2015 for submitting supposedly ‘false’ campaign records. At issue was that the Department of Justice complained that a State Senator who was paid for video editing services, who actually provided video editing services, was really being paid for his endorsement of Paul in the campaign, which was not illegal. What was illegal, the prosecutors contended, was the way in which the expense was described on the campaign finance reports, claiming that misidentification of all the motives for a campaign’s financial transactions was akin to a violation of the federal law against false statements. The Judge was outraged by full-blown SWAT-type FBI raid on his home, similar to what the FBI did to President Trump. The FBI made Kasari’s young children stand in the snow while they tore apart his home. Kasari and the Paul campaign was targeted by Jack Smith, who would go on to persecute Trump.
Jesse Benton – 2012 Ron Paul campaign
Another relentless attack on our legal system even after being pardoned by President Trump, involved Jesse Benton. The leftists at DOJ have relentlessly pursued Benton for process-based paperwork crimes. Benton was also targeted by Jack Smith.
Mike Watts – Oil and Gas Executive
Mr. Watts is an elderly man prosecuted and target because he operated a politically incorrect business: an oil and gas company. Hydrocarb Energy Corporation was legitimate and with substantial assets. Mike was unfairly linked to an unrelated third-party’s misconduct. Watts was convicted of a charge that the prosecutors introduced in their closing arguments, a major due process violation as it prevented Watts from defending against the specific charges. The prosecutors were allowed to change the indictment just as the jury was to start deliberating. A flawed grand jury process led to the unjust and abusive indictment.
Travis & Gregory McMichael – Prosecuted for the death of Ahmed Arbury in 2020
The McMichaels were prosecuted even after they were convicted at the state level for the murder of Ahmed Arbury in 2020. Bankrupted by the process, they had to rely on a public defender. Their charges were ridiculous: the government claimed they interfered with Arbury’s right to run away from a crime scene as he was burgling a home in the neighborhood. As well, prosecutors said that Arbury was “kidnapped” by virtue of the McMichaels following him. The final confrontation, where Arbury lunged at the McMichaels, clearly showed that Arbury intended to take their shotgun and use it against them. The fight ended with Arbury dead, and two white men in Georgia receiving a massive national campaign to imprison them because of the color of their skin.
Prosecutors have also repeatedly suppressed evidence of Arbury’s major mental illnesses, including his pattern and history of breaking into homes and fighting with authority figures. Both father and son were sentenced to multiple life sentences, and alleged to have been motivated by racial hate, even though the evidence of that was marginal.
William “Roddie” Bryan – Prosecuted for being a witness to the death of Ahmed Arbury in 2020
Bryan was sentenced to terms in both the state and federal systems, in a case that was politicized, racialized, and a systemic injustice. Bryan received a 35 year federal sentence, even though he was a mere witness to the fight between Arbury and the McMichaels. The feds argued this amounted to a “kidnapping” even though Arbury was out in the middle of the street. The argument was that by following Arbury in his truck, he was complicit in “kidnapping” Arbury. This insane legal injustice deserves a pardon.
Jon Woods – Conservative pro-Trump State Senator from Arkansas
First public official in Arkansas who bravely endorsed Trump over Hillary Clinton. His case was called the worse abuse of power by BOTH liberal and conservatives. The liberal defense trial attorneys stated they haven’t see a worst case of prosecution misconduct in history. Even FBI agent Robert Cessario pleaded guilty to the destruction of evidence that could have proven Woods’ innocence, what is known as ‘Brady’ material. The FBI agent admitted to a felony and only got probation, whereas Woods received an 18 year sentence for trying to help a Christian College apply for a grant that they were entitled to.
Robert Watson – Military hero and DOJ target
Watson was a target after the 2008 financial crash where the Obama DOJ needed scalps. They said that Watson committed fraud, even though the factual record was never established. The DOJ just spun a narrative and kept the pressure on.
Part of the DOJ’s nefarious tactics involves seizing all the assets of the defendant preventing them from paying an attorney. And then the DOJ will argue that since they have such assets, they aren’t entitled to a public defender. This is how the DOJ can jail and bankrupt billionaires.
As well, these complex financial crime cases often involve hundreds of thousands of documents. Making the ability for defendants to identify and fight back against the DOJ’s resources nearly impossible. Watson was stuck with attorneys who did not understand his case or the charges, and their failures at the trial court substantially contributed to his conviction. Robert Watson was target for his political beliefs and his love of free markets.
Carlos Wydler – Working class man, wrongly targetted and prosecuted
Too poor to fight against the legal machine, Carlos was eaten up and spit out. Carlos was denied due process because he was poor. The government knew he could not afford a proper defense. A big bank needed a fall guy to collect insurance and took advantage of Carlos naivety and being a lower-level employee. Carlos approved mortgage loans, and the government got a 7 year sentence and a $7 million fine, even though there was scant evidence he knew that the loans he approved were deficient. Wydler said he was following approved bank procedures as the Vice President, but the government held him to a higher standard and since he was being paid by the bank, they twisted the situation into “fraud.” Even though Wydler was following bank policy, the government said that wasn’t enough to defend against an accusation of fraud.
Lorna Green – 22 year old who set fire to a Wyoming Abortion Clinic
Green plead guilty to setting the gasoline-based fire late at night at the Wellspring Health Access Center in Casper, Wyoming. Green chose to commit her crime at night, ensuring that no one would be injured. She told investigators she was militantly pro-life and had nightmares related to the clinic. The judge in her case noted that she had experienced a great deal of emotional and physical abuse in her childhood. Sentenced to five years in September 2023, Green had served a significant amount of time and her property damage was wrong, but she needs psychological counseling and not prison. As the left is so often saying, property damage is not serious and a valid exercise of political dissent.
Roy Doug Wead – popular conservative, active in the Ron Paul campaign and advocate for religious liberty.
Another person who crossed Obama when we wrote a book exposing Obama’s crimes. Obama had Eric Holder pursue Doug until he couldn’t fight anymore. The stress and persecution by the corrupt Obama’s DOJ caused Wead’s death. He still should be posthumously pardoned. Wead and Jesse Benton received a $100,000 campaign donation, not knowing it was from a Russian foreign national. They then made a $25,000 donation to the Trump campaign, which the feds alleged was a ‘straw donor’ crime, where a donation is identified to the wrong donor. It’s just as likely that Benton and Wead, as political consultants, were supporting America’s President who had been wrongfully persecuted.
Wead’s persecution by the DOJ was meant to stop pro-Trump fundraisers, and the Department ignored the innocence of people like Wead when they were pursuing these people.
The DOJ has become a tool of the Deep State. Regular pardons and commutations can expose these abuses, undo the damage, and send a message: America stands for justice—not revenge.
Ed Martin, conservative leader and former RNC attorney, has helped spearhead this effort to identify cases of abuse and bring them to the President’s attention. But the number of pardons by Trump has stalled significantly.
Whereas America’s President pardoned 1,525 in January, the numbers each month since have been in the single-digits each month. Trump’s rate of pardons has significantly slowed.
Yet there are still a significant and serious number of others who were harmed by the weaponized Department of Justice in the past few years.
President Trump, it’s time to tear down the walls of unjust convictions. Starting “Forgiveness Fridays” can make Presidential mercy great again.
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