Trump defends Arpaio pardon, calls former sheriff a 'patriot'

[webfact]

Trump defends Arpaio pardon, calls former sheriff a 'patriot'

By Jeff Mason

 

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday defended his granting a pardon to controversial former Arizona lawman and political ally Joe Arpaio. 

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday defended his controversial pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt in a racial profiling case that highlighted tensions over immigration policy in the United States.

 

Trump, a Republican who has promised to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, found a kindred spirit of sorts in Arpaio, whose tactics as a law enforcement agent in Arizona's Maricopa County drew condemnation from civil rights groups.

 

Arpaio was convicted late last month of wilfully violating a 2011 injunction barring his officers from stopping and detaining Latino motorists solely on suspicion that they were in the country illegally.

 

Asked at a White House news conference about broad criticism of the pardon, including from some in his own party, Trump said Arpaio had not been treated fairly, and he criticized previous U.S. presidents for pardons and commutations of their own.

 

"A lot of people think it was the right thing to do," Trump said of the pardon, which he had foreshadowed at a political rally in Phoenix last week.

 

"He's done a great job for the people of Arizona. He's very strong on borders, very strong on illegal immigration. He is loved in Arizona. I thought he was treated unbelievably unfairly," Trump said.

 

The White House announced Trump's pardon of the 85-year-old on Friday night as Hurricane Harvey was threatening Texas with devastating floods. Trump, a former reality television star, said he thought television ratings the night of the announcement would have been good because of the storm.

 

Trump was ready for the question at a news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket with a list of similar actions by President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama that also drew controversy.

 

"President Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, who was charged with crimes going back decades," Trump said.

Clinton's pardon of Rich for tax evasion, racketeering and violating sanctions with Iran, drew widespread criticism.

 

"President Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked countless sensitive and classified documents to WikiLeaks, perhaps and others. But a horrible, horrible thing that he did. Commuted the sentence and perhaps pardoned."

 

Obama did not pardon Manning, who provided documents, videos and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, but he shortened her sentence to seven years from 35.

 

Arpaio campaigned for Trump in 2016 and investigated unfounded claims that Obama was not born in the United States, a falsehood that Trump also espoused for years.

 

"Sheriff Joe is a patriot. Sheriff Joe loves our country. Sheriff Joe protected our borders," Trump said. "So I stand by my pardon of Sheriff Joe, and I think the people of Arizona, who really know him best, would agree with me."

 

(Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-08-29

[attrayant]

Well I guess that's it then.  Attention, law enforcement officers all over the country: feel free to engage in racial profiling because Trump's got your back.

 

 

This also makes something of a mess for Arizona GOP, since voters - many of them Trump voters - kicked Arpaio out last year.

[Samui Bodoh]

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

"A lot of people think it was the right thing to do," Trump said of the pardon

 

Actually, the people who think this was the right thing to do are racists, neo-nazis and/or KKK members. This man was one of the grossest violators of human rights in modern US history.

 

As I have said before, Donald Trump is an ever-expanding cloud of toxic waste that defiles everything it touches.

 

God help us all.

[JCauto]

*Deleted post edited out*

 

It's actually quite simple. The pardons that Obama, and every other President before this one, granted went through a standard process. The process that any pardon request goes through follows Department of Justice guidelines which include that the conviction is more than 5 years old and that the convict has applied for a Pardon from the Office of Pardon Attorney. It also includes that the requester has expressed remorse. None of this happened in this case despite the White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying the president would follow a "thorough and standard process" in considering the pardon the day before. That process is considered important, because otherwise the President would in effect be able to do what he wants regardless of the Constitution of the United States.

So basically he completely broke with precedent and pardoned a man who repeatedly and openly defied the Constitution of the United States. It opens up the possibility that he can do so with himself, his family and others who may have broken the law during the Presidential election, and thereby throwing the country into a Constitutional crisis because the Constitution has no value if it can be abrogated by the President whenever he likes without any basis or due process.

But as you'll no doubt think this is the ravings of the Far Left, why not read about it in that communist publication Forbes...I know that you Conservatives are strict Constitutionalists so I am sure you'll be concerned.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2017/08/26/trumps-pardon-of-joe-arpaio-the-future-of-the-constitution/#eb6c73f130ea

Edited August 29, 2017 by Scott
Deleted post edited out

[rudi49jr]

Trumps message comes across loud and clear: you can break all the laws that you want, so long as you are 'just doing your job'.

[Cyclist]

*Deleted post edited out*

 

Obama granted 70 pardons during both terms, fewer than his 5 immediate predecessors.

 

https://www.thoughtco.com/number-of-pardons-granted-by-obama-3367601

Edited August 29, 2017 by Scott
Deleted post edited out

[WaywardWind]

*Deleted post edited out*

 

It is pretty clear that you have no idea what you are talking about. 

 

President Obama issued a total of 212 pardons during his eight years in office.

 

He also issued executive clemency to 1,715 individuals,, which is likely how you arrived at your number.

 

You really should research the difference between a pardon and executive clemency before you write something demonstrates your ignorance.

Edited August 29, 2017 by Scott
Deleted post edited out

[WaywardWind]

Joe Arpaio cost the taxpayers of Maricopa County over $150 million in settlements and judgments in litigation over his activities.

 

He once claimed he was the target of an assassination attempt which he foiled. Turns out he set the whole thing up because he thought he was not getting enough positive publicity, and an innocent guy spent 4 years in jail before the whole story came out and he was released. He received whit is believed to be a $10 million dollar settlement because of it.

 

Joe Arpaio should have gone to jail and been subjected to the same humiliation that he visited on others whose sole offense was walking while brown.

[johnmcc6]

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

Actually, the people who think this was the right thing to do are racists, neo-nazis and/or KKK members. This man was one of the grossest violators of human rights in modern US history.

 

As I have said before, Donald Trump is an ever-expanding cloud of toxic waste that defiles everything it touches.

 

God help us all.

God help us all? Really? I didn't know Trump derangement syndrome came all the way over here. You need a Valium and a good lie down.

[johnmcc6]

Just now, johnmcc6 said:

God help us all? Really? I didn't know Trump derangement syndrome came all the way over here. You need a Valium and a good lie down.

All this silly nonsense about Nazi's and racists taking over the country is so ridiculous I don't know why I bother responding to it. So no matter what hysterical reply you may post, I will ignore it. If anyone needs God's help here it is.....well you can guess.

[selftaopath]

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

Actually, the people who think this was the right thing to do are racists, neo-nazis and/or KKK members. This man was one of the grossest violators of human rights in modern US history.

 

As I have said before, Donald Trump is an ever-expanding cloud of toxic waste that defiles everything it touches.

 

God help us all.

I know:  Instead of "god helping us" maybe if elected politicians grew spines, and stood up to this soon to be dictator and destroyer of democracy e.g. rule of law, he'd be shown that The U.S. Constitution is for times like this and there are checks and balances. But I fear they are only putty in the criminal master mind's hands.

 

If I had a genie in a bottle I know what I'd wish for. 

[Mansell]

The ex-sheriff was ordered by a federal judge to stop doing what he was doing....he of course ignored the judge. The precedent that the Clown in Chief has set allows him to pardon anybody before they have even been sentenced to prison. This of course allows him to do this with family members, anybody being investigated for crimes involving himself. When he asked if he could pardon himself, the question that should be asked is why would he need to pardon himself if he hadn't commited any crimes. A sleaze bag of the highest order, and he proves this every day. The day they decide to impeach him, will be the day he resigns.....and then he will be open to prosecution, and hopefully end up in prison with his Klu Klux Klown buddies and other low life's.

[YetAnother]

The whole idea of presidential pardons is one of the huge flaws in the USA democracy government scheme

Edited August 29, 2017 by YetAnother

[ilostmypassword]

A Phony Murder Plot Against Joe Arpaio Winds Up Costing Taxpayers $1.1 Million

Taxpayers spent $1,102,528.50 this year to settle another of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's lawsuits, New Times has learned through a public records request. The suit was brought by a man whom Arpaio framed in 1999 in a staged murder plot against the sheriff.

The payout, nine years after the wrongful arrest, is an indicaton that the aging lawman's publicity-driven, unsavory antics may keep costing taxpayers big money well into the future.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/a-phony-murder-plot-against-joe-arpaio-winds-up-costing-taxpayers-11-million-6629798

 

Joe Arpaio Loses: New Times Co-Founders Win $3.75 Million Settlement for 2007 False Arrests

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors this afternoon voted unanimously to approve a $3.75 million settlement for New Times' co-founders, whose false arrests in 2007 were orchestrated by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin were taken from their homes in the middle of the night and jailed on misdemeanor charges alleging that they violated the secrecy of a grand jury -- which turned out never to have been convened.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/joe-arpaio-loses-new-times-co-founders-win-375-million-settlement-for-2007-false-arrests-6651491

 

Victims Wonder Why Arpaio Let Sex-Abuse Cases Languish

Late 2005 to October 2007 was not a good time to be raped or molested in El Mirage.During that time, the town had signed a contract to pay the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office $3.6 million for police services. But Sheriff Joe Arpaio didn't use the money to bolster his sex-crimes unit

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/victims-wonder-why-arpaio-let-sex-abuse-cases-languish-6463426

 

[soalbundy]

nice photo, fat cat patting his poodle, the two cretins will then have gone out for a Big Mac, philosophizing about modern law and order.

[metisdead]

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed. 

[7by7]

As a brit, I knew next to nothing about Presidential pardons, so I did some research.

 

In that research I discovered that 

Quote

HOW DOES THE PARDON PROCESS USUALLY WORK?

Someone who has been convicted of a federal crime and wants to be pardoned makes a request for a pardon to the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney, which assists the president in exercising his pardon power. Department rules tell pardon seekers to wait at least five years after their conviction or their release from prison, whichever is later, before filing a pardon application.

It’s then up to the pardon office to make a recommendation about whether a pardon is warranted. The office looks at such factors as how the person has acted following their conviction, the seriousness of the offense and the extent to which the person has accepted responsibility for their crime. Prosecutors in the office that handled the case are asked to weigh in. The pardon office’s report and recommendation gets forwarded to the deputy attorney general, who adds his or her recommendation. That information is then forwarded to the White House for a decision. (Source)

A procedure which has not been followed in this case, as Arpaio hasn't even been sentenced yet, let alone waited five years after his conviction! Neither has he made any application to the OPA. Despite, according to Justice Department statistics, as of Aug. 7 Trump had 376 requests for pardons pending and 1,508 requests for commutation, he seems to have rushed through this one. One has to wonder why.

 

However, he may have bent the law, but he hasn't broken it: Why Trump’s Pardon of Arpaio Follows Law, Yet Challenges It

 

Edited August 29, 2017 by 7by7
Correct typo

[smotherb]

7 hours ago, WaywardWind said:

*Deleted post edited out*

 

It is pretty clear that you have no idea what you are talking about. 

 

President Obama issued a total of 212 pardons during his eight years in office.

 

He also issued executive clemency to 1,715 individuals,, which is likely how you arrived at your number.

 

You really should research the difference between a pardon and executive clemency before you write something demonstrates your ignorance.

• Franklin D. Roosevelt: 2,819 pardons
• Harry S. Truman: 1,913 pardons
• Dwight D. Eisenhower: 1,110 pardons
• Woodrow Wilson: 1,087 pardons
• Lyndon Johnson: 960 pardons
• Richard Nixon: 863 pardons
• Calvin Coolidge: 773 pardons
• Herbert Hoover: 672 pardons
• Theodore Roosevelt: 668 pardons
• Jimmy Carter: 534 pardons
• John F. Kennedy: 472 pardons
• Bill Clinton: 396 pardons
• Ronald Reagan: 393 pardons
• William H. Taft: 383 pardons
• Gerald Ford: 382 pardons
• Warren Harding: 300 pardons
• William McKinley: 291 pardons
• Barack Obama: 212 pardons
• George W. Bush: 189 pardons
• George H.W. Bush: 74 pardons

https://www.thoughtco.com/number-of-pardons-by-president-3367600

[radiochaser]

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2017/aug/22/trump-says-considering-pardoning-arpaio/

 

 

[mike324]

apple doesn't fall far from the tree, both Trump and Arpaio are a like .... both have lawsuits against them and are shady figures. No decent human being have so many lawsuits on them, that is fact.

[selftaopath]

20 hours ago, mike324 said:

apple doesn't fall far from the tree, both Trump and Arpaio are a like .... both have lawsuits against them and are shady figures. No decent human being have so many lawsuits on them, that is fact.

And they are both loved by the repugnant KKK. Hope they both get what they deserve. 

[otherstuff1957]

On 8/29/2017 at 9:25 PM, smotherb said:

• Franklin D. Roosevelt: 2,819 pardons
• Harry S. Truman: 1,913 pardons
• Dwight D. Eisenhower: 1,110 pardons
• Woodrow Wilson: 1,087 pardons
• Lyndon Johnson: 960 pardons
• Richard Nixon: 863 pardons
• Calvin Coolidge: 773 pardons
• Herbert Hoover: 672 pardons
• Theodore Roosevelt: 668 pardons
• Jimmy Carter: 534 pardons
• John F. Kennedy: 472 pardons
• Bill Clinton: 396 pardons
• Ronald Reagan: 393 pardons
• William H. Taft: 383 pardons
• Gerald Ford: 382 pardons
• Warren Harding: 300 pardons
• William McKinley: 291 pardons
• Barack Obama: 212 pardons
• George W. Bush: 189 pardons
• George H.W. Bush: 74 pardons

https://www.thoughtco.com/number-of-pardons-by-president-3367600

To be fair, it's still early in his presidency, but we could add:

 

Trump:  1 pardon

[rudi49jr]

4 hours ago, otherstuff1957 said:

To be fair, it's still early in his presidency, but we could add:

 

Trump:  1 pardon

He's probably saving them for when he has to bail out the whole clique around him, that will probably cost him a couple hundred pardons ...