Arpaio defends MCSO on the stand
PHOENIX -- Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio testified for six hours Tuesday in a civil rights lawsuit which alleges that he and his deputies racially profile Hispanics.
Under questioning from lawyers representing a group of Latinos who are suing him and his department, Arpaio was quiet and almost hoarse at times. He told the judge he was suffering from the flu.
The sheriff said he was taken out of context when he was quoted as saying that illegal immigrants are "dirty."
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Plaintiffs' attorneys also asked Arpaio about a comment he made on a cable news talk show that seemed to express admiration for the Ku Klux Klan.
CNN host Lou Dobbs spoke with Arpaio in 2007 about comparisons between his department and the KKK, about which the sheriff said, "I think it's an honor. It means we are doing something."
Arpaio on Tuesday said he said he doesn't consider the comparison an honor, adding that he has no use for the KKK.
Outside of court afterward, Arpaio's attorney, Tim Casey, told reporters the clip was "taken out of context."
http://www.azfamily.com/news/Arpaio-defends-MCSO-on-the-stand-163651876.html