“How can the life of such a man / Be in the palm of some fool’s hand?” — Bob Dylan, “Hurricane”

You’ve probably never heard of Caleb Bailey, but he is a political prisoner who has been locked behind bars for nearly eight years; nine more years remain on his sentence.

Anyone who has publicly supported Donald Trump should cringe when hearing the facts of his case. In his state of residence, Maryland, violent rapists, armed robbers and kidnappers have received shorter prison sentences. Yet Caleb has never in his life committed a violent act.

Not once. So why is he in prison serving a term of 16 years and eight months? Judge for yourself.

In April 2016, Caleb and his father were elected as Trump delegates to the Republican National Committee from Maryland. Maryland is, of course, one of America’s most politically liberal and Trump-hostile states.

On May 5, 2016, just seven days after his name appeared in local media for being chosen as a Trump delegate, Caleb’s home was raided by a squad of 42 heavily armed agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They presented a search warrant, then occupied and ransacked his home for more than eight hours.

After conducting their arguably illegal search and seizure that violated Caleb’s Fourth Amendment rights, the agents seized and hauled away in three large U-Haul trucks nearly $200,000 worth of Caleb’s private property — most of which were items not on the search warrant.

Caleb was charged with illegal possession of several firearms (he was a gun collector), including 37mm safety flare launchers, which used to be sold over the counter by Wal-Mart and sporting goods stores.

Before his trial, the prosecutors told Caleb’s lawyer that they would ask for an outrageous life sentence unless he took a plea bargain. Faced with the harrowing prospect of decades in prison, he took a plea deal.

In a letter to President Donald Trump, Tony Covington, a tough-on-crime state’s attorney in Maryland, wrote that in his entire career, he has “never offered an opinion or recommendation on the commutation of someone’s sentence. I do so now because I believe that justice can best be served by granting Mr. Bailey’s (pardon) request.”

The Washington Post and others have accused Trump of abusing his pardon powers. They have the story upside down. In too many of these hundreds of cases, men and women who have been granted clemency were unjustly incarcerated by Trump-hating prosecutors and judges.

Caleb has lost nearly eight of the best years of his life to flim-flam charges.

This case shakes your faith in the American jurisprudence system. It exemplifies the depths of depravity of those suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Please, Mr. President: Free Caleb Bailey.