My Friend Is a Political Prisoner

Not everyone persecuted by the Biden administration has been freed by President Trump yet. Mike Sherley is one of them.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. (Romans 5:7 NKJV)

As oft-quoted as that Bible verse is, I used to glaze over it. 

I presumed it was only about Jesus based on the context of the trusty old “Romans Road.” After all, there are professionals and volunteers who risk life and limb on a regular basis – for example, law enforcement officers, first responders, soldiers, and even a college classmate of mine who still suffers from memory loss and “9/11 lung” for rushing to the Twin Towers wreckage after they fell. I saw many of my Central Texas neighbors race to the rescue as the waters of Sandy Creek were still roaring during the flooding across multiple counties that recently took so many lives on July 4.

But over the last year this verse has taken on a renewed meaning. It’s not that there are numerically few men and women who “dare to” die, period, and for the righteous and unrighteous alike. We all strive to be heroes in our own ways. But “scarcely” do we find those who lay down their reputations and risk the social and professional consequences (be it persecution, or even death) to speak out for someone who, like Jesus, was unjustly punished. Even Peter denied his Master three times.

Enter Mike Shirley, my friend, colleague, campaign consultant, and fellow Texan by way of Florida. He is now entering the second of his seven-year federal prison sentence.

Scandalous Requests

To me, he is one of these “good men” the Apostle Paul mentions. He is incarcerated partially due to what we all now know was a massive fraud perpetrated by then-President Barack Obama in the waning days of his administration, as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard proved with a records release just last week.

That’s no forced connection: All of Mike’s charges would have been dropped by Joe Biden’s “weaponized DOJ” prosecutors if only he had made a few statements for them, he tells me. Among those statements: That President Donald Trump was behind “Russiagate” and worked with foreign actors to game the results of both the 2016 presidential and 2018 mid-term elections in Florida and Texas.

Mike firmly declined the plea deal. The trial was allowed to proceed under a judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton, resulting in him being convicted of “honest services fraud” — a category of crime that the U.S. Supreme Court has found to be extremely problematic. (Read the entire saga at www.FreeMikeShirley.net.)

No One to Help

I thought for certain Mike’s vast Rolodex of clients, coworkers, and campaign cohorts would immediately step to his aid. From Senate races to gubernatorial bids, Mike has done it all.

Alas, aside from the support of a small circle of friends, few spoke up during his first year in a federal prison camp near Miami. During this time, Trump gave January 6 protesters a blanket pardon, 23 pro-life demonstrators were released from their wrongful imprisonments, and even former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagoevich got out of jail.

But Mike? There were mostly cricket sounds from former associates, the mainstream press, and even friends in the upper echelons of Washington. The mainstream media only seemed interested in the kangaroo court trial and a still-pending appeal. Out of numerous letters hand-addressed to the Texas congressional delegation, only two have responded – and both said they would not help due to office policy.

In all fairness to those reticent few: Federal court cases are complicated business. Not everyone has the time to go into the weeds and read about both sides of a case. Some have their jobs to look out for should they end up unknowingly defending a scoundrel. Still others simply do not understand how the system works. But those who have “dared to” speak out so far have something in common:

They understand on a deeper level than most Americans what it means to stand up for freedom. 

The Few and the Brave

Some of the people stepping up for Mike are those who understand what true freedom means because they know their many sins are covered by the blood of Christ. Take GiveSendGo as a prime example. Major crowdfunding sites have become notorious for censoring grassroots efforts and even seizing funds (such as when other popular crowdfunding sites decided the truckers who protested COVID lockdowns by forming a convoy in 2022). But GiveSendGo, founded in 2015 as a modest Christian alternative to those other platforms, stood in the gap during the Biden years and the COVID crackdowns. When we set up an account for Mike there, a representative from the company even called us to pray.

Others are “fighting the good fight” in the political realm. While the legacy media is still waiting for the wheels of justice to turn, conservative sites such as Gateway Pundit, The Federalist, RVIVR.com, and The Hayride jumped into the fight for Mike with headlines like “Trump pardons J6ers, but what about this man?” A handful of radio shows and patriotic podcasts have also stoked the fires.

Still others are sympathetic government workers and appointees who value faith and freedom, but are bound by the various processes of bureaucracy. We have more of them on Capitol Hill than we previously were aware of precisely because Trump won another term in office and has continued his promised swamp-draining. We’re now content that Mike’s case has at least been heard in the halls of power.

When the 11th U.S. Circuit Court hears his appeal sometime this fall, we expect some attention and perhaps more movement toward a presidential pardon or commutation of Mike’s sentence (though now would be preferable, as Mike has several financial dependents).

Until we reach critical mass and Mike is freed, though, we are grateful that there is an increasing variety of Christian alternatives (such as The Stream) to the mainstream media, louder conservative voices, and more patriotic Americans working behind the scenes for justice. How many more political prisoners would there be today without those scarce ones who, even if only figuratively, “dare to die” for someone else?

Help Mike Shirley’s friends offset expenses and find links to more information at GiveSendGo.com/FreeMikeShirley.

Andy Hogue is a father of three, a part-time minister, communications director for the Travis County Republican Party, and a frequent blogger and commentator who lives in the Austin area. Follow him on X  @AndyHogue.