Oregon ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond went to prison like second-class citizens, but on Wednesday they returned home flying first class after receiving a pardon from that famous friend of the cowboy, President Donald Trump.

The fact that the father and son hadn’t sought a pardon, but were attempting to have their five-year sentences for arson commuted, is beside the point. Like the private jet they were transported on back to Burns, they went along for the ride when the opportunity presented itself to be sprung with their constitutional rights restored.

But some things cannot be so easily fixed. The Hammonds’ arson case inspired right-wing militia followers and led to the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016, which lasted 41 days and cost one life.

It also gave the Trump administration a chance to court an important constituency in the West: The ranchers who use vast sections of federal public land for a nominal fee and still find plenty to bitch about.

While the Hammonds may imagine they’re returning to a quiet life back on the range, the ranchers are bound to receive makeovers as the Trump administration scours the landscape for symbols of Uncle Sam’s overreach. The gang that can’t govern straight is hell-bent on putting federal regulation through a shredder, and it’s found an authentic pair of rough-hewn poster boys to help make its case.

Not even their own attorney, Lawrence Matasar of Portland, Oregon, could explain how it happened to The New York Times. “I don’t know the machinations of how it happened,” he said. “This was not the standard process.”

As it happened, according to the Times, a group that represents ranchers’ interests made contact with the administration on the Hammonds’ behalf. Indiana oil executive and former trucker Forrest Lucas flew the Hammonds back to their high-desert home at his expense. Although the head of Lucas Oil is worth an estimated $500 million, his name is probably best known for being displayed on Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. He’s also a friend of Vice President Mike Pence.

With family, friends and American flag-waving riders there to greet them, it was big news that also created a dandy made-for-TV image. The Hammonds gave thanks to their supporters and to President Trump.

The theatrical ending belied the fact the Hammond family had been at odds with federal land managers for more than two decades and that Steven Hammond had been involved with more than one arson investigation. The case that sent both men to prison stemmed from a backfire on their ranch that swept onto adjacent federal public land, burned more than 100 acres of public land, and endangered many thousands more.

The Hammonds’ actions weren’t much in doubt. But they were prosecuted under a 1996 terrorism law that comes with a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. When a judge was more lenient, the lesser sentence was appealed, the mandatory minimum reinstated, and the political blaze was set.

In a statement, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “The Hammonds are multi-generation cattle ranchers in Oregon imprisoned in connection with a fire that leaked onto a small portion of neighboring public grazing land.” The trial evidence was called “conflicting.”

Taking up the defense, Sanders added that the father and son had already served three and four years in prison respectively, that the family has already paid $400,000 to the government to settle a lengthy civil litigation related to the arson.

“The Hammonds are devoted family men, respected contributors to their local community, and have widespread support from their neighbors, local law enforcement, and farmers and ranchers across the West,” Sanders stated.

It isn’t the first time the administration and its closest allies have ridden hard for ranchers in the spotlight. Trump operative Roger Stone has made his support of the cause of Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy well known, and noted Clinton litigator and birther lawyer Larry Klayman has represented Bundy in civil matters.

With Trump’s announced intention of shrinking federal monuments, shelving environmental regulation and opening the West to greater resource extraction, he has pleased big friends with big business in the oil and gas sector. And the images of beleaguered western ranchers overburdened by federal overreach sure come in handy.

It’s something environmental groups have been shouting about for months with mixed results.

“The pardoning of the Hammonds serves several purposes without a large political cost,” Arran Robertson of Oregon Wild environmental defense group observes. “... The Hammonds also represent a constituency that is going to feel the heat from the escalating trade war.”

For Trump’s base, the symbolism is priceless politically.

The message: Arson is just an oversized campfire if your politics are right.

These days, even taking up arms against your own government doesn’t count much as long as you’re riding for the brand.

Contact John L. Smith at [email protected]. On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith.