President Trump and two of his former officials (AT Jeff Session and senior advisor Jared Kushner) all lied under oath and get off scot-free. Meanwhile, it is public knowledge that many convicts in the US —and I'm not exaggerating—are innocent or receive unjust and harsh sentences. That makes a mockery of the US justice system. Having lived in the good old' USA for nearly half a century, I can tell you without a doubt that justice in America is not colorblind.

Let me explain why: 

* On October 19, 2022, a federal judge said that Trump lied under oath about voter fraud claims in the 2020 election. Add to that his involvement on Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol was "a terror attack” that resulted in five people dead.

Lying under oath, know as perjury, can result in serious penalties, including fines and imprisonment for up to five years.

* On August 23, 2022, the FBI raided former president Trump's Florida home and discover more than 700 pages of stolen top-secret U.S. documents that were illegally stored.

* On January 10, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was caught lying under oath during his confirmation hearing before the Senate about meetings with a high-level Russian official while actively campaigning for Donald Trump. US law says anyone found guilty of this kind of crime will be fined and imprisoned for up to five years. He went on to serve for about two years. Neither he nor Trump were held accountable for breaking the law.

* In January 2017, senior White House advisor Jared Kushner lied several times on his application for Security Clearance application. In fact, he has to amend his application form 3 times within 6 months after he initially did not list any contacts with foreign government officials. Then he has the audacity to blame his assistant for his lying. Whoever knowingly falsifies or conceals a material fact on SF- 86 application would be committing a felony which may result in up to five years of imprisonment. He has got to keep his job after his security clearance was downgraded.

 According to federal law, the penalties for giving false information on a security clearance application can be severe.

Under Criminal Cod, Title 18, Section 1001, anyone knowingly and willfully falsifies or conceals a material fact on SF- form may face up to five years in federal prison and/or fine up to $10,000. This applies to both intentional lies and honest mistakes that result in discrepancies between the SF-86 and other information provided. Jared Kushner put the blame on his assistant for lying on his security clearance form. 

Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Captain James Yee, who served in the U.S. Army at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station, was charged with espionage and many other serious offenses. was held in solitary confinement for 76 days in Florida before the U.S. dropped charges and granted him an honorable discharge. The U.S. Army lost valuable human resources. Captain Yee, who is of Chinese origin, received an honorable discharge, no apology, and he wrote a book about his ordeal to pay off his $200,000 legal expenses. 

I met Captain Yee in person, and he is a great man, and a good soldier and patriotic American. He was a devout Muslim. devoted husband and patriotic American. He was a man who spend every day to make his country, his community and world a better place. 

* On July 14, 2011, Walid Shoebat is a Palestinian who claimed to be an ex-PLO member and claimed in a CNN interview that he firebombed an Israeli bank in Bethlehem and that he served two weeks in an Israeli prison which was later confirmed by CNN to be false. He is now walking freely in the US simply because she converted to Christianity and supported the US policies towards Israel. Calls to the FBI and DHW to investigate the claim regarding Shoebat's violent past and to see whether he disclosed this information when applying for his citizenship were ignored.

* On 17 Aug 2017, Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian American activist known for helping Arab women in Chicago, had her US citizenship revoked by a judge who ordered her deportation to Jordan for failing to disclose her 1979 conviction in Israel in her citizenship application. The 70-year-old woman maintains her failure to mention the conviction was unintentional and the result of post-traumatic stress disorder she suffered as a result of being tortured and raped by Israeli soldiers. Odeh, who lived in the US for 22 years said, the U.S. government was complicit in atrocities committed against her people by Israel. 

Compare and contrast Odeh and Shoebat's cases:

If you compare and contrast Odeh and Shoebat's cases, you'll find out that:

* Odeh was a Palestinian Muslim.

* Shoebat was a Lebanese Muslim who convert to Christianity.

* Odeh was aiding Arab women in Chicago and advocating for Palestinian causes.

* Shoebat was heavily involved in speaking tours all over the US spreading anti-Muslim propaganda.

* Both Shoebat and Odeh allegedly failed to disclose all the information on their immigration papers.

* Odeh was targeted by Israel and the Israeli lobby while all US law enforcement agencies ignored Shoebat and looked the other way.

* Shoebat gets to stay in the US and get his citizenship, whereas Odeh was stripped of her citizenship and kicked out of the US.

Once again, President Trump and two of his former officials who all lied under oath were able to get off scot-free. I don't know about you but I will become a believer in American justice when no one acts above the law and justice is not applied selectively as it undermines the principles of fairness and equality.

Mahmoud El-Youseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes on U.S. foreign policy, Middle East affairs, and justice. Email: elyousseph6@yahoo.com