Julie Kelly believes the justice system in Washington, D.C., is broken, irretrievably so. The juries are so tainted with partisanship that they can’t find criminals guilty. She pointed to the acquittal of a homeless man who was accused of pointing a laser at Marine One.
A jury found Jacob Samuel Winkler not guilty after just 35 minutes of deliberation. He was charged in September with pointing a laser at an aircraft. However, they find everyone who is Republican or tied to Trump guilty.
He aimed a laser pointer at Marine One, the presidential helicopter, as it was leaving the White House in September, with President Trump aboard, and was acquitted on Tuesday, according to court documents.
Alexis Gardner, a federal public defender for Mr. Winkler, called the case “a clear example of misuse of prosecutorial discretion.”
She said federal resources were spent charging a man “whose alleged weapon was a cat toy key chain,” adding that it was “time and money diverted from real public safety threats.”
A Secret Service officer arrested Winkler after a red laser was aimed at Marine One as President Donald Trump departed the White House, according to a complaint filed on Sept. 22, 2025.
The Evidence
According to an affidavit, Officer Diego Santiago was patrolling the White House perimeter to secure the helicopter’s flight path.
Santiago reported spotting a shirtless man, later identified as Winkler, walking along Constitution Avenue and talking loudly
When Santiago illuminated him with a flashlight, Winkler responded by shining a red laser directly into the officer’s eyes, leaving him briefly disoriented.
Marine One passed low overhead, and Santiago said Winkler then turned the same laser skyward and trained it on the presidential helicopter.
According to investigators, Winkler said during a post-arrest interview that he pointed the laser at Marine One but did not realize it was prohibited.
Perhaps the jurors felt sorry for him because he’s likely not mentally well. However, if the system has no place but jail for these criminal acts, if true, then that’s where he has to go. I couldn’t find a photo of the laser he used, allegedly on his cat key chain.
In yet another example of what the Trump DOJ is up against, especially in DC, a DC jury deliberating for about 35 minutes before acquitting a homeless man of shining a red laser in the face of a Secret Service agent then Marine One in September.
This is about the same amount of… pic.twitter.com/uZYZvxpiJ9
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) January 20, 2026
There no longer is a law-based justice system in WA DC and most every other large city in America. This is also true of some entire states, such as my state, Washington. Election theft and RINO Senators have destroyed the concept of even-handed justice and replaced it with just-us.