The Trump Administration just saved this rancher family from devastating Biden-era persecution

May 1, 2025 Cat2, Culture
USDAgov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

President Trump just delivered justice to a hardworking American family that was nearly destroyed by the Biden Administration.

The Maude family faced criminal charges and the threat of losing their children over what should have been a simple property dispute.

And the Trump Administration just saved this rancher family from devastating Biden-era persecution that turned their lives upside down.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that the government has officially dropped all criminal charges against Charles and Heather Maude, ending a nightmare scenario where the previous administration turned a civil dispute over 25 acres of land into a full-blown criminal prosecution.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins hosted the vindicated family at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C., alongside Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and several members of Congress to celebrate the victory for property rights and condemn the political targeting.


“President Trump is directing his cabinet to ensure no citizen of this country is unfairly targeted on politically motivated witch hunts. That is what happened to the Maudes,” Secretary Rollins said during the event.


The ordeal began when the United States Forest Service claimed that fencing on the Maudes’ property blocked access to the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands.

The family agreed in good faith to a survey of the property lines.

But instead of handling the matter as a routine boundary adjustment, the Biden administration escalated it into a criminal case that threatened to destroy the family’s livelihood and even their family unit.

Secretary Noem didn’t mince words about the previous administration’s abuse of power.

Homeland Security Secretary Noem blasted the previous administration for its treatment of the family.

“I’m so disgusted by the Biden administration that they would do this and persecute a family and threat to take their children away from them just because they wanted to be political,” she said during the event.

The case struck a chord with South Dakota’s Governor, who has his own ranch not far from the Maudes.

“This situation hits close to home for me – the Maude’s ranch is just 70 miles down the road from my own. The Maude family has been put through hell by an overreaching federal government,” Governor Rhoden said.

The move to drop the charges comes as part of President Trump’s broader effort to root out politically-motivated prosecutions, which he experienced firsthand during the previous administration.

USDA has launched a dedicated portal at www.usda.gov/lawfare for Americans who believe they’ve been targeted by similar politically-motivated prosecutions to report their situations.

Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota praised the resolution but emphasized the injustice should never have happened.

“Hard work and common sense have finally prevailed,” the South Dakota Senator said. “We want to thank President Trump and his team for working closely with us and the Maude family to right this wrong.”

Wyoming’s Senator Lummis didn’t mince words about what she saw as a pattern of abuse.

“The political prosecutions during the Biden administration weren’t just focused on destroying President Trump,” she fired back. “They also went after hardworking ranchers trying to run a small family operation.”

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), who knows firsthand about government overreach, tore into the bureaucrats responsible.

“The case against the Maudes is a glaring example of the dangers of unelected bureaucrats with far too much power weaponizing the full force of the federal government in an unconstitutional effort to make felons out of farmers,” she stated.

This case highlights the stark contrast between the Biden administration’s approach to law enforcement, which critics say targeted political opponents, and the Trump administration’s focus on defending the rights of ordinary Americans against government overreach.

Representative Dusty Johnson of South Dakota summed up the sentiment: “I’m grateful the Trump Administration is focused on prosecuting real criminals.”

With the charges dropped and their nightmare finally over, the Maude family can now return to what they do best – ranching their land without the looming threat of prosecution from their own government.

The dismissal of the case against the Maudes demonstrates that the days of weaponized bureaucracy targeting American citizens may finally be coming to an end.

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