Joe Arpaio pardoned: Donald Trump calls controversial sheriff ‘a good American patriot’
DONALD Trump’s was happy to announce he gave Joe Arpaio a presidential pardon. But his move sparked a furious backlash.
FURIOUS critics have blasted Donald Trump over his decision to grant a Presidential pardon to America’s toughest sheriff.
Mr Trump today pardoned 85-year-old ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona’s Maricopa County, with the White House calling him a “worthy candidate”.
However the move sparked a furious backlash. including from within his own party.
The White House released a statement stating 85-year-old ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona’s Maricopa County was a “worthy candidate” for a presidential pardon.
“Throughout his time as Sheriff, Arpaio continued his life’s work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration,” the statement read.
“Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now 85 years old, and after more than 50 years of admirable service to our Nation, he is worthy candidate for a presidential pardon.”
JUST IN: Pres. Trump pardons Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the controversial former Maricopa County official, according to the White House. pic.twitter.com/ydKkbMw0ba
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 26, 2017
Mr Trump also tweeted the news.
I am pleased to inform you that I have just granted a full Pardon to 85 year old American patriot Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He kept Arizona safe!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2017
DECISION BACKLASH
Republican Senator John McCain criticised the move and said “no one is above the law”.
In a statement Mr McCain said “sworn law officers should always seek to be beyond reproach in their commitment to fairly enforcing the laws they swore to uphold.”
He said pardoning Arpaio undermined the President’s claim for the respect of rule of law.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People tweeted it embraced racist policing practices.
Pardon of Arpaio is explicit embrace of the racist policing practices that leave communities fearful of very ppl who should protect & serve.
— NAACP (@NAACP) August 26, 2017
The American Civil Liberties Union also blasted the move saying it endorsed racism.
The president has again acted in support of illegal immigration enforcement practices that target people of color. pic.twitter.com/2mzMrGj2tz
— ACLU National (@ACLU) August 26, 2017
Mr Trump’s controversial move comes days after the president hinted he wanted to pardon the man he called a patriot.
In an interview with Fox News Sunday earlier this month, Mr Trump called Arpaio a great “American patriot who has done a lot in the fight against illegal immigration.”
He hinted he was considering a pardon for Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt of court for defying a court order in a case involving racial profiling.
The President on Tuesday again signalled his willingness to pardon the former Sheriff, who intentionally disobeyed a judge’s order in an immigration case. But he told a downtown rally of supporters in Phoenix, Arizona, he wasn’t going to do it then.
“So was Sheriff Joe was convicted for doing his job?” Mr Trump asked his supporters.
“I’ll make a prediction. I think he’s going to be just fine, OK. I won’t do it tonight because I don’t want to cause any controversy.”
CONTROVERSIAL PAST
Arpaio made headlines for making prisoners wear pink underwear as a way of shaming them and reinstating chain gangs in the 1990s.
The former Maricopa County sheriff also cut down prison meals to two a day and even banned the use of salt and pepper to as a way of saving money, CNN reported.
Arpaio wasn’t just tough when it came to prisoners — the 85-year-old also took a hard line approach to illegal immigration as well, which ultimately led to his downfall.
In 1993, Arpaio introduced the controversial Tent City jail complex idea as a way of stopping overcrowding in jails. He also helped introduce a proposal for a new tent city to round up immigrants, citing border security concerns, the New York Daily News reported.
Mr Trump and Arpaio became linked during the 2016 campaign for their like-minded views on immigration.
Both have questioned the authenticity of then-President Barack Obama’s birth certificate and have a similar history in sparring with judges.
Arpaio was convicted in July of criminal contempt of court charges for violating an order that he refrain from detaining illegal immigrants, which the courts said was the job of federal authorities.
He was awaiting sentencing in Arizona after his conviction in federal court for disobeying court orders to stop his immigration patrols and faced up to six months in prison.
Longtime critics of the retired sheriff claimed a pardon would remove the last chance at holding Arpaio legally accountable for a long history of misconduct during his 24 years as metro Phoenix’s top law enforcer.
They cited a racial profiling verdict against the sheriff’s office, allegations that Arpaio retaliated against his political foes and other alleged misconduct.
‘VICTIM OF ABUSE’
Speaking to the Associated Press, Arpaio said he appreciated Mr Trump pardoning him and that he will always stand by the president.
Arpaio said he was also thankful for the work his legal team did in securing the pardon and plans to discuss his case more next week.
He said he learned of the pardon after the papers absolving the conviction were mailed to one of his lawyers.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, the controversial sheriff said he believed he was a victim of “abuse” by the justice system.
“If they can go after me, they can go after anyone in this country,” he told host Sean Hannity.
He also told Hannity he planned to go public about the abuse of the political and justice system when the time was right.
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