Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, recently convicted on federal contempt charges for violating a court order forbidding his racial profiling tactics, has been pardoned by President Trump.
In 2016 the 83-year-old Sheriff, an early and ardent Trump supporter, failed to win re-election after 23 years in office, despite having armed deputies assigned to polling places in an effort to intimidate Mexican-American voters. While elderly Arpaio failed at the polls, his voter suppression effort helped deliver more votes for Donald Trump in Maricopa County than any other county in America. One more reason for Mr. Trump’s bromance with the law-breaking ex-lawman.
President Trump was so eager to get “Sheriff Joe” off the hook, he asked Jeff Sessions to drop the case before Arpaio was convicted.
More:
“Trump pardons Joe Arpaio, former sheriff convicted in racial profiling case,” Julia Carrie Wong, The Guardian
“Trump pardons `Sheriff Joe’ for defying court orders to halt racial profiling,” Todd J. Gilman, Dallas News
“ACLU: Trump’s pardon of Arpaio ‘a presidential endorsement of racism,'” Brandon Carter, The Hill
“Trump violates his oath for Arpaio (who violated his oath),” EJ Montini, The Arizona Republic
“Why Trump’s pardon of Joe Arpaio isn’t like most presidential pardons,” Andrew Rudalevige, Washington Post
“Joe Arpaio’s Pardon Is Donald Trump’s Gravest Abuse of Power Yet,” Cristian Farias, New York Magazine
“The Arpaio Pardon Encapsulates Trump’s Identity Politics,” Perry Bacon Jr., FiveThirtyEight
“Trump’s pardon of Arpaio fits a pattern: A divider, not a uniter,” Dan Balz, Washington Post
“The problem with Joe Arpaio’s pardon isn’t the process. The problem is Joe Arpaio.” Josh Chafetz, Washington Post
“Arpaio pardon could encourage more civil rights violations,” Steven Mulroy, The Conversation
“Why Donald Trump Pardoned Joe Arpaio,” Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker
“If he’ll pardon Arpaio, why wouldn’t Trump pardon those who ignore Robert Mueller?” Philip Bump, Washington Post
Updates:
“Judge won’t vacate Arpaio’s contempt conviction without oral arguments,” Michael Kiefer and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, The Arizona Republic via USA Today
“Legal challenge to Arpaio pardon begins,” Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
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Tags: Arizona, Civil Rights, Crime, Donald Trump, Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County, presidential pardons, racial profiling, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Trump, voter intimidation, voting rights
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