Miyares breaks with Trump over pardon of convicted ex-Culpeper sheriff
Culpeper Sheriff Scott Jenkins speaks to the crowd at the pro-gun rally in 2020. (Ryan M. Kelly for the Virginia Mercury)
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is pushing back against President Donald Trump's decision to pardon former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, saying the ex-lawman's federal bribery conviction was well-founded and the pardon misguided.
'I have to authorize any state investigation into any elected official. And so I was aware of a lot of the facts at that time,' Miyares told The Mercury in an interview Tuesday. 'Given what I know, I would not have pardoned him.'
The rare public break from Miyares, a Republican and rising star in Virginia politics who is seeking a second term this year, comes just weeks after Trump issued the controversial pardon in late May. The president portrayed Jenkins — a longtime supporter who campaigned for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 — as the victim of political persecution.
'Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL,' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing the pardon. He blamed the case on 'an overzealous Biden Department of Justice' and claimed Jenkins had been 'left for dead' by 'Radical Left monsters.'
But prosecutors, a jury and residents in Jenkins's own hometown paint a far different picture.
In March, Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of accepting over $75,000 in bribes in exchange for issuing auxiliary deputy sheriff appointments and law enforcement credentials to wealthy businessmen and undercover agents.
None of the recipients were trained, vetted, or expected to perform any actual law enforcement duties. They offered Jenkins cash and campaign contributions.
The appointments came with official Culpeper County Sheriff's Office badges, identification cards, and in some cases, the ability to carry concealed weapons in jurisdictions where they otherwise may not have had permission to do so.
Jenkins, 53, was convicted in December 2024 on 12 federal counts — including conspiracy, four counts of honest services wire fraud, and seven counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
'Scott Jenkins violated his oath of office and the faith the citizens of Culpeper County placed in him when he engaged in a cash-for-badges scheme,' said Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee in a statement after sentencing. 'We hold our elected law enforcement officials to a higher standard of conduct … and this case proves that when those officials use their authority for unjust personal enrichment, the Department of Justice will hold them accountable.'
FBI officials echoed that assessment. Stanley Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Richmond Division, called Jenkins's actions a betrayal of his badge.
'Every law enforcement officer takes an oath to serve and protect the community — that includes following the law they've sworn to uphold,' Meador said. 'I am proud of the diligent work our investigative team did on this case to bring Jenkins to justice.'
Court documents showed that Jenkins accepted bribes from at least eight individuals, including co-defendants Rick Rahim, Fredric Gumbinner, and James Metcalf — all of whom pleaded guilty — as well as two undercover FBI agents posing as wealthy donors.
In return, Jenkins appointed them as auxiliary deputy sheriffs and issued official law enforcement credentials.
In one instance, Jenkins pressured Culpeper County officials to support a petition falsely claiming that Rahim — a convicted felon — resided in the county, in order to have his firearm rights restored. The petition, later revealed to contain misleading information, was central to the government's case in proving Jenkins's abuse of power.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Smith, along with Trial Attorneys Celia Choy and Lina Peng from the Department of Justice's Public Integrity Section, led the prosecution.
Despite the evidence and jury verdict, Trump's decision to intervene and grant clemency to Jenkins sparked outrage — even in conservative Culpeper County, where Trump won more than 60% of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.
According to NPR, which interviewed more than two dozen Culpeper residents following the pardon, all but one person expressed disapproval of the pardon — and the lone supporter refused to go on record.
'That's a terrific mistake,' Ken Green, a retired entrepreneur and three-time Trump voter, told the reporter as he sat at the counter of Frost Café on Culpeper's Main Street. 'It's a failure of our justice system. He was guilty as could be. He needed to go to jail, and he didn't. So what kind of signal does that send?'
For Miyares, the issue isn't Trump's constitutional authority — which he acknowledges — but whether that authority was exercised responsibly.
'I think it is clear the Constitution gives the president incredibly broad pardon powers, as we have seen,' Miyares said in the interview. 'And regardless of who's in the White House, these pardons can be controversial at times.'
He added, 'Clearly the White House is privy to facts that I'm not aware of, but with the facts that I am aware of, I would not have pardoned him.'
Miyares's criticism adds to a growing chorus of Republicans what they view as Trump's increasingly personal use of the pardon power. While presidents have long granted clemency for controversial figures, Jenkins's case stands out because of the sheer volume of evidence, the jury's unanimous verdict and the betrayal of public trust by a sitting sheriff.
'You're scared. Honestly, you're scared,' Jenkins said of his sentencing. 'You may have been a cop all your life but you're sitting here going, 'They want to put me in prison for life.''
Whether Trump's decision will have political consequences remains to be seen, but the fallout in Virginia — especially among conservative voters who also value law-and-order policy— is still unfolding.
As Miyares put it, 'I don't agree with that.'
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