By Kelly John Walker
The majority of American People are not prosecutors, judges, or juries, so guilt and innocence are normally for the courts to decide. But what does a society do when its very justice system has been weaponized for political purposes? When the law itself is applied selectively, the People have not just the right but the obligation to ask questions and to speak out.
By that measure, the American Justice System is failing badly.
When figures like George Santos receive clemency or pardons because of their status as politicians—despite admitted wrongdoing—it establishes a precedent. Mercy, review, and relief exist, but for whom, and by what standards? Once the pardon door is opened, it cannot be justly closed to others whose names lack political clout.
This is not an argument about outcomes. It is an argument about fair access. By what criteria are claims of mistreatment by a weaponized legal system prioritized?
Michael Castillero’s case raises serious questions about selective enforcement and prosecutorial overreach. That doesn’t establish his innocence. Nor does it establish guilt. What it establishes is something more fundamental: he deserves to be heard. If people like George Santos are allowed to have their pardon requests expedited by Ed Martin, President Trump’s “Pardon Attorney” and Director of the Weaponization Working Group, others like Castillero have an absolute right to be heard under the 14th Amendment.
Instead, Castillero describes a system of deflection and dismissal—even from officials widely perceived as allies. After reaching out to Harmeet Dhillon, he says he was repeatedly ignored. When she finally responded, her message was blunt: “You need to get a private lawyer…I can’t help.”
That may be a valid point, but Castillero’s reaction is telling: “Why should a private citizen whose life has been destroyed need access to money and lawyers just to be heard at all?”
He recounts a similar experience involving Todd Blanche, where assurances of a meeting came and went. “We were told a meeting would happen—before Labor Day,” Castillero said. “We’re still waiting.”
This is the reality of a two-tier system—where politicians receive expedited remedies while ordinary Americans are told to wait, pay, or disappear. The People are not asking for favoritism, they are demanding consistency, and that’s a fair ask.
A skeptic may well say, “What if Castillero actually committed crimes,” but that’s not the point of a pardon. Santos pled guilty to fraud and identity theft and admitted to deceiving donors and stealing identities—yet he has been granted a second chance at life as a free man.
“I was the first person to ever go to federal prison for a civil violation,” Santos told CNN. “I don’t want to focus on trying to rehash the past and want to take the experience and do good and move on with the future. Repentance is an understatement. I have been dealt a second chance.”
Santos posted on his social media: “Yesterday, I was given something I never thought I’d have again: a true second chance at life…His faith in second chances reignited my own, and for that, I will be forever thankful.”
Until equal access to review exists for all—not just the well-connected—the promise of equal justice remains unfulfilled. That is not radical; it is constitutional.
Does Michael Castillero deserve a second chance? That question should be answered by one standard alone: fair and equal treatment under the law.
In an era when “lawfare” has become a household term and weaponized indictments, convictions, and incarceration are increasingly routine, it is reasonable to ask whether selective mercy is sufficient—or whether broad, corrective clemency is now required to restore our compromised Justice System.
Kelly John Walker is an American statesman, senior writer, author, and entrepreneur. He is the Founder of FreedomTalk, Editor-in-Chief of FreedomTalk Magazine, and Co-Founder of Parents Demanding Justice Alliance. His work has appeared in The Washington Times, Gateway Pundit, The Epoch Times, Newsmax, Townhall, Law Enforcement Today, and more. He’s a frequent guest on national programs including Real America’s Voice, Bannon’s War Room, NTD Capitol Report, and more. Kelly holds degrees in English, Theology, and a Master of Science earned on a U.S. Department of Defense fellowship. In 2020, after being canceled and arrested for standing against government overreach, he became a leading independent journalist and advocate for liberty and parental rights. He is also a volunteer Tribune for the new People’s Tribune Council.
