“My name is Jason McGuire. Some people know me as a lobbyist, as a political leader, as a pastor, or as a friend. To others, I am a son, a brother, a husband, or a father. Today, in the eyes of the state of New York, I am inmate 090198, locked down in Echo Block-4 for sixty hours in the Livingston County Jail. This is my first experience of incarceration.”

Two weeks ago, we wrote about our ally in New York, Jason McGuire, who was sentenced to eight weekends in jail following a seven-year witch hunt led by New York Attorney General Letitia James that amounted to political retribution over Jason’s conservative views. The investigation yielded only three missing campaign finance receipts totaling less than $1,300, but it was enough for the AG’s office to manufacture a case against New York Families Foundation’s executive director. Rather than spending an additional $250,000 to defend himself, Jason pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges. The judge sentenced him to eight weekends in jail.

On August 8, Jason shared his first letter from jail. His fortitude and optimistic nature are admirable; his joy and peace in Christ alone is something we can all learn from. Read an excerpt from Jason’s letter below:

One moment stands out. Twenty hours after I entered the jail, a female deputy offers to let me out of my cell for a shower. I know that I haven’t yet been cleared for the general inmate population and that she would have to accompany and supervise me. I thank her, but decline. When I decline, I take a chance and instead ask her for three things: Toilet paper, writing paper and pen, and a Bible. With a quiet spirit and kind eyes, she replies, “I’ll see what I can do.” Soon after, she returns with a roll of toilet paper, a few pages of copy paper, a black Bic pen without a cap, and a brand-new paperback NIV Bible.

I am blessed.

In a place where nothing is mine, to hold the Word of God and have the means to write down my thoughts is a precious and timely gift. Out of all the possessions that I could have had in that place, my Bible is what I wanted most. I begin furiously scribbling, trying to capture every detail of what I have experienced thus far. I remembered Luke 9:23, a Scripture that I had often turned to as a teenager: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” This passage sounded so noble when I was young. Today, it feels much heavier, but also more real. This is not the stuff of youth group slogans. It is the crucible where Christ reveals Himself more clearly.

What Jason is experiencing is not justice. The judicial system was weaponized against him due to his political and religious views. He is in jail over a clerical error that in South Dakota could have been resolved with a single phone call. 

We often say that elections have consequences. Jason’s story is a clear illustration of that principle. New York Families Foundation was maliciously targeted because of ONE elected official and ONE judge. You may think this egregious violation of religious liberty could never happen in our state – but as Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.” The political makeup of our state is defined by those who make it to the ballot box. Our freedom depends on your vote.

Jason continued:

I do not write any of this to seek sympathy. The trials I am facing are light compared to those faced by many other believers. But they are real, and they are mine. And God is using them, even now, to show me what it truly means to suffer with Christ. I am not without hope. Romans 5:3-5 reminds me: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame…”

That hope is my anchor. Though I sit behind bars, I know I am free in Christ. Though I am accused, I know the Righteous Judge sees all. Though my reputation is under attack, my identity in Him remains untouched. Though I am deprived of human connection, I am not alone.

So I write from Echo Block not with bitterness, but with gratitude. For even in a jail cell, Jesus meets me. Even in Echo Block-4, He is enough.

And for that, I rejoice.

Praise God for Jason’s incredible testimony. We continue to pray for him, his family, and the New York Families Foundation as he finishes out this unjust sentence.

Meanwhile, the perpetrator of this ordeal is facing a legal battle of her own. The Department of Justice opened an investigation into Letitia James’s office after she brought a civil fraud case against President Donald Trump and another case against the National Rifle Association (NRA). James is also under investigation for several instances of mortgage fraud.

Letitia James has a long history of weaponizing the office of the Attorney General against her political opponents, and now it’s coming back to haunt her. We pray that justice will prevail. 

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Image courtesy of NYFF