Trump considering pardon for Joe Arpaio

[Mormolyce]

President Trump told Fox News he is “seriously considering” issuing a pardon for former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted last month of criminal contempt for ignoring a judge’s order to stop detaining people because he merely suspected them of being undocumented immigrants.

Trump told the news outlet during a conversation in Bedminster, N.J., that the pardon could come quickly, perhaps in a matter of days. The news outlet reported the conversation on its website Monday.

“I might do it right away, maybe early this week. I am seriously thinking about it,” Trump said, according to Fox News. He said Arpaio was a “great American patriot” who had “done a lot in the fight against illegal immigration.”

“Is there anyone in local law enforcement who has done more to crack down on illegal immigration than Sheriff Joe?” Trump said, according to Fox News. “He has protected people from crimes and saved lives. He doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.”

Arpaio, whose extreme stance and tactics on illegal immigration made him a household name, was convicted of criminal contempt last month by a federal judge in Arizona. He faces up to six months in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for Oct. 5. Jack Wilenchik, Arpaio’s attorney, said after Arpaio was convicted that the former sheriff would appeal to get a jury trial, and that the judge’s conclusion was “contrary to what every single witness testified in the case.”

“Joe Arpaio is in this for the long haul, and he will continue his fight to vindicate himself, to prove his innocence, and to protect the public,” Wilenchik said.

Wilenchik did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment Monday. A White House spokeswoman did not immediately answer an email seeking comment. A Justice Department spokeswoman said she was not aware of the president’s remarks but would wait until action was taken before commenting.

Arpaio told Fox News, “I would accept the pardon because I am 100 percent not guilty.”

Arpaio, 85, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., has long been an advocate for Trump and spoke in support of him at the Republican National Convention in July. The men seem to share the same worldview when it comes to illegal immigrants and using harsh tactics against criminals or suspected criminals. Arpaio is well known in part for forcing his inmates to wear pink underwear and sleep outdoors in his Tent City Jail.

Reacting to the prospect that Trump might pardon Arpaio, ACLU Deputy Legal Director Cecillia Wang said, “President Trump would be literally pardoning Joe Arpaio’s flagrant violation of federal court orders that prohibited the illegal detention of Latinos. He would undo a conviction secured by his own career attorneys at the Justice Department. Make no mistake: This would be an official presidential endorsement of racism.”

The legal saga surrounding Arpaio dates back years. In 2011, as part of a lawsuit, the then-sheriff was enjoined by U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow from detaining people he thought to be illegal immigrants, when they were not charged with any other crimes. Prosecutors alleged that he continued to do so, and last year, the Justice Department decided to pursue a criminal contempt-of-court case against him.

Critics said his policy of detaining people on mere suspicion was racist and illegal, and his refusal to honor a court’s order to stop was brazen. Wilenchik has said that the judge’s order enjoining Arpaio was “not clear,” and suggested that Arpaio was merely doing what others do routinely: turning over those in the country illegally to the U.S. Border Patrol.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...or-joe-arpaio/

Who better to pardon a racist who flouts the law, and what better time to do it?

Kek.

[Edge-]

Oh god, what better way to cement his place as the first, and hopefully only, white supremacist president of the 21st century.

Good job, Trump. Making white America hate again.

[Wyrt]

Trump's got to look out for his racist buddies.

[Grapemask]

So his reasoning seems to be, regardless of what crimes Arpaio may have been found guilty of now, a past that Trump finds agreeable means he deserves a pardon?

Sweet, going to go work in some soup kitchens before I knock off a couple banks.

[Bullettime]

If Trump does this right after the Cville incident, the GOP congress who are trying to get back control of the situation are going to probably shoot themselves.

He has no fucking clue what optics are and has been sheltered from consequence, even politically up to this point. But even congress are quickly getting sick of his shit.

[Pannonian]

Just waiting for him to install a commission of historians headed by Gorka to re-evaluate the role of the criminal Rosa Parks...

[Sunseeker]

Trump has the most hilariously horrible sense of timing.

[Noxx79]

He has to make up to his racist base for his limp wristed, delayed, condemnation.

[Edge-]

He has to make up to his racist base for his limp wristed, delayed, condemnation.

Yeah, this is what I was very much thinking. This is a way to assuage their concerns, "No, I was forced to call you out by name but I didn't really mean it. See, I'm thinking about pardoning this racist sheriff convicted of misdemeanor contempt for refusing to obey the laws!"

[Pannonian]

Yeah, this is what I was very much thinking. This is a way to assuage their concerns, "No, I was forced to call you out by name but I didn't really mean it. See, I'm thinking about pardoning this racist sheriff convicted of misdemeanor contempt for refusing to obey the laws!"

The nazis already took it. They weren't too concerned by his remarks from today, because in their view he was obviously pressed by the ((globalist)) press, but he held firm for 2 days.

He really did it. He pleased the Nazis in the US while making everyone else faceplam.

[Breccia]

As @Edge- said in another thread, Trump is in a no-win situation here and it is his own fault.

Pardon, and he's confirming he's a racist, arguably a violent one.

Not pardon, and he leaves his racist followers in the lurch.

If only there was some way to deal with this. Like, not campaigning to attract American Nazis and the KKK. But how....

[Pannonian]

Fuck me, he just re-tweeted this:

"Meanwhile: 39 shootings in Chicago this weekend, 9 deaths. No national media outrage. Why is that?"

Does this man have no shame at all? Does he now have to retweet alt-right talking points?

[Breccia]

Does this man have no shame at all?

Maybe, but this is desperation. Between the increasing stories of WH infighting, the Nazi thing, the GOP condemning him for the Nazi thing, CEOs ditching him for the Nazi thing, not having a war in NK after all, China calling him out, and of course Mueller's ongoing investigation, and the failure of TrumpCare, and the stalling of his agenda, and his "historic" press conference for signing a bill for a whopping $2 billion for veterans -- much needed and welcome, but let's be honest, this is not record breaking crowds -- being overshadowed by the Nazi thing...Trump needs something, ANYTHING, to get the taste of failure out of his mouth.

Maybe he'll try Putin's dick.

[Adam Jensen]

I love how Trump is consistent in his ability to make the absolute worse decision in any given situation.

And by love I mean "hate."

[PACOX]

Let him pardon Arpaio so those who voted for him can see how unqualified he is. I assure you the backlash will drown out any doubts they had in their minds.

[Wyrt]

Let him pardon Arpaio so those who voted for him can see how unqualified he is. I assure you the backlash will drown out any doubts they had in their minds.

Why? His voters probably approve of Arpaio.

[DrMcNinja]

Why? His voters probably approve of Arpaio.

Well, we all know what some of his voters were up to recently don't we?

[Paranoid Android]

So Trump just retweeted Fox News article on this pardon. A blatant showing to the white supremacist crowd that he supports this racist.

- - - Updated - - -

Why? His voters probably approve of Arpaio.

Shoot! Trump supporters will cheer this.

[Acidbaron]

In the mean time CEO's are leaving trump left and right for not denouncing white supremacy.

Best American Soap Opera ever.

[Felya]

He has to... thats the only segment of his base that knows they cannot get a better candidate. If he loses them, he'll have no one left by the end of the year.

- - - Updated - - -

In the mean time CEO's are leaving trump left and right for not denouncing white supremacy.

Best American Soap Opera ever.

Is this Mojo world or Joozians?