Pluralist - Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday praised Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who famously refused to stop illegal racial profiling, as a “tireless champion of “tireless champion" of "the rule of law.”
Speaking at a tax policy event in Phoenix, Pence said he was “honored” try Arpaio's attendance and called the disgraced ex-sheriff a “great friend of this president and tireless champion of strong borders and the rule of law.”
Trump pardoned Arpaio in August for criminal contempt of court. Arpaio, who campaigned for Trump, was convicted of the crime two months earlier for disobeying a federal judge's order to stop racial profiling suspected illegal migrants.
Trump announced the decision as Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, and later followed up on Twitter, declaring Arpaio an "American patriot" who "kept Arizona safe!"
Arpaio already had a polarizing national reputation thanks to his handling of issues of race and sex as sheriff of Maricopa County. Styling himself "America's Toughest Sheriff," he won plaudits from many conservatives and scorn from many liberals. After 24 years in office, Arpaio was voted out in 2016.
Arpaio was among the leaders of the "birtherism" conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. He has lately ?refused in interviews to follow the lead of the president, a one-time fellow "birther," and repudiate the false claim.
No comments:
Post a Comment