Trump pardons controversial former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio

[sandensea]

Source: ABC News

Controversial former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio was pardoned by President Donald Trump on Friday after being found guilty in July on criminal contempt charges stemming from his refusal to stop imprisoning suspected illegal immigrants.

"Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now eighty-five years old, and after more than fifty years of admirable service to our Nation, he is [a] worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon," the White House said in part in a press release.

Arpaio, an outspoken critic of undocumented migrants as well as an ardent supporter of Trump, appeared on the presidential campaign trail with the Republican candidate in 2016.

He was said to be under consideration for a pardon last week by Trump, and was all but promised clemency by the president during a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/controversial-arizona-sheriff-joe-arpaio-pardoned-president-trump/story?id=49426093

---

It's worth noting this is Cheeto's first presidential pardon.

[Chasstev365]

1. Are you fucking kidding me?

[sandensea]

6. I'm afraid not. MSNBC is covering it as we speak.

Frankly, I would have been surprised if he hadn't.

[Hortensis]

22. Disgusting, but this will hurt to them and help us. Republican leadership tearing hair.

As for Arpaio, his district had already finally tossed him out of office. Likely his most valuable service to his nation starts right now.

[sandensea]

32. "No worries," they're telling each other.

"That's what Putin's voting machine hackers are there for."

[Hortensis]

41. You worry about Putin, I'll worry about American wannabe kleptocrats,

and we'll split the rest of the planet has things develop.

ok

[sandensea]

44. Hear, hear.

America's real problem is our kleptocracy - not Putin or any other foreign dictator. Putin merely saw an opening and went for it.

[DBoon]

66. our kleptocracy saw a powerful ally

And let Putin in the front door

[sandensea]

68. No doubt about it.

It was an agreement of mutual convenience - and, on the part of our dear old GOP, treason.

[potone]

76. My sentiment exactly.

This is an outrage, and Trump surely knows it. He's throwing red meat to his base.

[ToxMarz]

2. Well there's nothing else going on right now that would require his attention. /s

[sandensea]

21. Exactly.

Cheeto must have just realized that his "good luck" comment when asked about Hurricane Harvey - which has just been upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane - has the potential of becoming his "heck of a job, Brownie" moment.

He's trying to make sure - in vain, I think - that this bullshit is at the top of the headlines instead.

[SergeStorms]

94. And wouldn't you know it......

this hurricane has the nerve to hit on a weekend! This is going to cut into Trump's golf time, and for that, he won't be happy. I expect a presidential fiat any moment forbidding hurricanes, or any other major natural disaster, from happening when Typhoid Donnie has a golf weekend planned!

Not that Trump will actually do anything but throw out a few tweets, but it's the principle of the thing.

[sandensea]

95. It'll get truly disgusting once reconstruction contracts are meted out, I suspect.

The fat bastard must be hoping for billions in damage, just so his criminal enterprise can line its pockets.

I'm not religious; but I'm praying for Texas tonight.

[Mr.Bill]

3. And when he accepts said pardon,

it's an admission of guilt. let's face it, he was not going to jail anyway. Now he can't appeal his guilty verdict. He will go to his grave a guilty man.

[Grown2Hate]

16. That's exactly what I was thinking. Honestly don't care. And it's only going to FURTHER alienate

any potential Latino voters, so it's probably even a WIN in a weird, twisted way. I was expecting it anyhow and won't lose sleep over it; and this is from someone living here in Maricopa County. Fucking HATE that guy, but let him rot knowing he's slimy.

Now, if he nominates him for some sort of cabinet position...

[Cryptoad]

93. were there not any State Charges against him??????

[Mr.Bill]

102. Apparently, not. n/t

[iluvtennis]

4. Trump showing his true white supremacist colors. I DESPISE him.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

53. Yes, another racist move by the Fuhrer-in-Chief... can't wait for impeachment hearings to start!

[joshdawg]

104. Impeachment won't happen.

republicans control all of government. 45 won't be impeached. Just my very humble opinion.
45 once said he could shoot someone in front of hundreds of witnesses and nothing would happen to him.
I'm beginning to believe that. So far, he's gotten away with all kinds of bullshit and nothing happens to him. WHY!
This pile of excrement needs to be shoveled into the nearest outhouse depository.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

108. Don't be so sure. The Fuhrer-in-Chief pisses off Rethugs almost as much as he does Dems.

[hibbing]

81. I'm sure the Nazis are happy n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

5. ...

[gademocrat7]

7. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Arpaio is a despicable evil criminal.

[mobeau69]

8. The Shit Never Stops.

I'm afraid Mueller is wasting his time. Bull Shit.

[mdbl]

9. So trump prefers law breakers?

what an idiot, and those who voted for him.

[elmac]

10. one creep pardons another nt

[not fooled]

51. dump's breaking in

his pardon pen. It will get heavy use.

[oberliner]

11. That was quick

Not a surprise given what he said at the rally, though.

[sandensea]

39. This might explain their jettisoning Gorka. They no longer need him.

Kudos on posting that btw, oberliner. I heard it from you at least 15 minutes before MSNBC.

[jmowreader]

12. Arpaio may have fifty years of service...

...but only a maniac or a deplorable would call the shit Arpaio pulled down there "honorable."

[Glimmer of Hope]

13. His deplorables will love this.

[Augiedog]

14. He was still convicted! That matters. He will have to accept a pardon from a fascist! That matters!

This will be attached to him for all time. He will go down in history just as the other racist shitbags have. Again, that matters. He is small potatoes and people will be pissing on his grave soon. He is old, mean, nasty and not long for this world. This is false victory for pretend human. Nothing more.

[mobeau69]

84. A full pardon wipes away any criminal conviction as if it never happened. n/t

[mobeau69]

86. And POS tweeted it was a Full pardon.

No surprise though.

[Augiedog]

88. It doesn't wipe away history

[mobeau69]

89. True.

[Eugene]

15. Law and Order Trump Style: a pretense of order without the rule of law.

[Dopers_Greed]

17. Fuck that orange rat

[gldstwmn]

18. I'm going to be sick.

[jpak]

19. Hundreds of people could die in Texas this weekend - and he only cares about a racist

fucking bigot.

IMEACH

[mpcamb]

20. That spineless weasel pardons that pond scum on a weekend.

Arpaio belongs in jail.

[Gymbo]

23. This is actually good news

It comes at a big price for Trump in the future.

"And while the president may well get away with the specific act of pardoning Arpaio, this action will not be without effect on future calls for impeachment. Unlike a pardon of himself, family members, or aides in the Russia matter, pardoning Arpaio would probably not result in the immediate demand for an impeachment inquiry. If, however, impeachment pressure increases, or a formal impeachment inquiry is launched on the basis of Russian “collusion,” obstruction, or on other grounds, an Arpaio pardon in the background will be highly damaging to the President’s position. It will immeasurably strengthen the hand of those arguing that Donald Trump does not have the requisite respect for the rule of law, or an understanding of the meaning of his constitutional oath, to be entrusted with the presidency." https://www.lawfareblog.com/problem-donald-trumps-constitution-part-ii-prospect-arpaio-pardon

[sandensea]

30. No worries.

That's what voting machine hackers are for.

[Rorey]

24. What a fuck head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's truly a POS.

[Ligyron]

25. Trump gives a shit less about Sheriff Arpaio.

He did it to piss off progressives, Hispanics, etc. Plus, his racist base will love it.

"We're winning fellow white folks!"

[seta1950]

26. Wow

💩 pardons 💩

[spotthebird]

27. Making pardons normal, helps family

He wants to seem generous to all fascists, so when he must pardon a couple hundred of his base it will just be more of the same.

[sandensea]

50. Exactly. He'll need that pardon power for most of his family and outlaw in-laws.

And a belated welcome to DU, spotthebird. Interesting times, right?

[spiderpig]

28. The talking heads on MSNBC are scrambling for words.

I'm having another drink.

[riversedge]

29. As his first pardon, Trump pardons a Birther!! How fitting!

NOT!

[Hieronymus]

31. Nazis learned nothing from ..

Bush, Jr. ignoring of Katrina.

[sandensea]

33. Bingo.

Deflect and distract.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

56. While Katrina was destroying New Orleans, Bush Jr. was in San Diego doing this

What was it about "fiddled while Rome burned"?

[TheCowsCameHome]

34. May both of those bastards rot in Hell,

.....entangled in each other's arms.

[sandensea]

37. - and trapped in the same pair of pink underwear.

[bluestarone]

35. just cant

get a victory with these assholes

[orangecrush]

36. American "Justice"

This absolutely takes the cake.

I don't see how this can go on.

[Stonepounder]

38. We are now in the middle of a Constitutional Crisis, the likes of which we have never seen.

It is not that Arpaio violated the civil rights of people who looked hispanic, it is that he thumbed his nose at a Federal Court, and Trump said, "That's OK, you were doing something I approve of, so screw the courts." So, what next? He puts out a new Executive Order banning immigration from Mexico, SCOTUS says no, he tells ICE, to hell with SCOTUS, go ahead and ban them and if you get arrested, I'll just pardon you.

We need for the ACLU to file suit immediately on behalf of the folks whose rights were violated and appeal this right up to SCOTUS. Otherwise, we have just lost the power of the courts to use an injunction to stop anything that Trump thinks is OK.

Folks, we are really in deep, serious trouble.

[Dave Starsky]

52. Constitutional Crisis, my ass.

It was clear from Day One of this administration that the "Emoluments Clause", or any other part of the Constitution dealing with how government is supposed to operate, doesn't mean shit.

[Stonepounder]

55. Using the office of the Presidency to enrich oneself is corrupt,

but telling a court that people you like can violate laws at will is something else.

[steventh]

54. We do need ACLU to file suit

Thank you for your clear and concise analysis of the situation.

[Freethinker65]

40. Which will be overshadowed by the hurricane

But he will be sure to trot out Sheriff Joe love at his ego stroking rallies.

[sandensea]

46. It certainly looks that way. It's been upgraded to a Cat 4.

Cheeto just realized that his "good luck" comment when asked about Hurricane Harvey has the potential of becoming his "heck of a job, Brownie" moment.

He's trying to make sure that this bullshit is at the top of the headlines instead.

[greatauntoftriplets]

42. May they both rot in hell.

[AlexSFCA]

43. mass deportations are coming

[dembotoz]

49. Think u might have something there

[lunasun]

45. My fear in a year or maybe two? Despite all bad events, today will be looked back at like Candyland

Daca -Trans military -evacuee checkpoints -teen age pregnancy prevention defunding-Arpaio
Harvey

[SunSeeker]

47. Ex-Sheriff Joe is one of Trump's "very fine" people on the side of white supremacists.

[bucolic_frolic]

48. political

undoing the judgment of the court

Shameful

[wendyb]

57. Trump's Friday

Hurricane Harvey (Border Patrol stopping anyone fleeing the storm who looks suspicious (not white)
Bans transgender troops
North Korea missiles
Pardons Joe Arpaio
Seb Gorka resigns
Ends Obama jobs program


He is pure evil.

[sandensea]

60. Great recap.

And if Hurricane Harvey - God forbid - turns out to be a Katrina-style calamity, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if Trump decides to bomb North Korea just to get the Harvey aftermath off the front pages.

Putting Seoul and its 25 million people in danger is almost irrelevant to Cheeto.

[Doreen]

58. Lets see, Gorka resigns and Arpaio is pardoned.

Now who do you think is going to take Gorka's position. Would it surprise you if that is what trump does?

[bucolic_frolic]

59. Can this be challenged in court?

Link to tweet

[sandensea]

61. My understanding is that the president's power to pardon is absolute.

Perhaps someone with legal expertise could elaborate further on this.

[bucolic_frolic]

62. The NYTimes Opinion piece

in the link from Krugman's tweet, says the same thing, but it's never been ruled on, and if a President can pardon violation of Constitutional rights on his behalf, we have not much Constitution at all. It would overturn the entire Bill of Rights. Legal minds will be burning the midnight oil this weekend.

[sandensea]

65. Great link. Republicans are very good at using constitutional gray areas to their advantage.

And with this Supreme Court? Fuhgeddaboutit!

[mobeau69]

69. This.

Drinking now but that is a salient question.



I will celebrate like never before the day The Great Equalizer equalizes that orange piece of shit.

[mobeau69]

75. In theory, he could have his goons go out and kill his opponents (us) and then just pardon them.

The Founding Fathers never envisioned that we, the people, would ever elect such scum.

[Hoyt]

63. A nod to the ignorant white wing racists that support Trump.

[edbermac]

64. Cheetoh would pardon Hitler.

Color me unsurprised.

[LW1977]

67. What piece of crap!

Mueller can't speed it up fast enough.

[kimbutgar]

70. There is a simmering undercurrent of disgust in this country over twitlers actions

And I predict it will boil over soon. When he goes after the dreamers and ignores the hurricane things are going to get worst.

I hate that mf'er so much!

[sandensea]

71. Unfortunately, they've thought of that too.

Their solution: vote machine hacking.

Hell, the things were designed to be hacked (ES&S, Sequoia, Die-bold, etc.).

[kimbutgar]

73. I wish Soros would buy those companies!

[sandensea]

87. If only!

And short of that, I hope he's been trying to build up a trusty network of counter-hackers able to preclude any right-wing attempts to do so.

Some say that counter-hackers are what stopped Turd Blossom from stealing Ohio electronically with his own Chattanooga-based hackers in 2012 - hence his legendary meltdown.

[Initech]

72. GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!!!!!

He just pardoned the most racist man in America, after saying he's not racist! FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!

[Initech]

74. So the most racist, bigoted piece of fucking shit in America gets a slap on the wrist.

White collar crime pays.

[OliverQ]

83. He didn't even get a slap on the wrist. The judicial process hadn't completed yet

Arpaio wasn't even sentenced yet.

He completely got away with his crimes with no real consequences.

[moonseller66]

77. Be careful what you wish for, Joe...

I wonder how many ex cons are OUT that Joe treated like shit, embarrassed them and violated THEIR rights...and are a lot younger, meaner and not forgiving?

I know how I'd feel. And with someone who is a released immigrant with no job, no future, and especially with virtually nothing to lose.

Just a thought.

[spiderpig]

78. Oh no he dint!

Did I just hear Arpaio issued a statement praising 45 and blaming Obama?

I don't know how much more of this I can take.

[calimary]

79. If Arpaio accepts, that means he's admitting guilt.

And if he ever has to face questioning about this, maybe in another case regarding this, he won't be able to take the fifth. So I understand, anyway.

Small comfort, though.

[mobeau69]

85. Depends. A full pardon wipes everything away as if it never happened. n/t

[L. Coyote]

80. Trump signaling he's an unrepentent racist.

Brace yourselves for the ovens if you are a minority in America.

[OliverQ]

82. I'm so disgusted and upset over what's happening to this country

This pardon is a sign to people like Flynn, Manafort, etc. that Trump will pardon them if they're convicted of any crimes.

No one is going to face any consequences for treason or destroying this country. It's so sick.

[laserhaas]

90. Just picture whatever you will, as the worst of worst

and see Drumpf will exceed your expectations

[Shrike47]

91. He's cemented his standing as a racist. All his unity crap is demonstrably worthless.

[Cryptoad]

92. Reckon Don the Con will pardon,,,

the driver in Charlotteville that killed the young lady

[DFW]

103. That's what I was thinking

Trump would just this fine upstanding young killer, er, I mean, man, had merely taken a wrong turn, and Trump can't see wanting to mess up the rest of his life just for that. Rumor has it that Fields, upon receiving his pardon, will be taking a brief vacation in Barcelona, Spain......

[Rhiannon12866]

96. Unbelievable. He is incapable of understanding - or learning - anything.

[sandensea]

97. But he understands this:

His deplorables needed their red meat fix, and he needed something to knock Hurricane Harvey - and his idiotic "good luck" remark - off the headlines.

The man is crassness personified.

[Rhiannon12866]

98. He sure is - nothing is too outrageous or too offensive.

Whenever we think something is too deplorable, even for him, he just doubles down. And he is incapable of admitting a mistake or apologizing. I'm truly worried about those in the path of Harvey. We thought the response to Katrina was as bad as it could get...

[sandensea]

99. The poster just above mentioned that it wouldn't be surprising if James Fields gets the next pardon.

And frankly, I no longer think that's exaggerated in the least.

[Rhiannon12866]

100. Nope, I agree. What was previously unimaginable in this country

Has become "normalized" daily news since we've been faced with Trump.

[sandensea]

101. The John Birchers really knew what they were doing with hate radio.

I guess this kind of extremism has been around from day one; but it's become a lot more shameless and generalized since Limpbaugh. He made Trump possible.

[Rhiannon12866]

105. While I certainly support "free speech," I'm sure that we never dreamed

That the hatemongers - Limbaugh, Jones, Breitbart, etc. - would become mainstream - or get anywhere near the White House. These are truly scary times.

[raccoon]

107. Self delete. Nt

[briv1016]

109. With the first one out of the way, now he can start pardoning his family.