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Trump pardons former Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio

Aug 25, 2017, 5:06 PM | Updated: Aug 26, 2017, 10:32 am

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PHOENIX — President Donald Trump announced Friday evening he was pardoning former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, after hinting he would do so at a Phoenix rally.

“Throughout his time as sheriff, Arpaio continued his life’s work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration,” a statement from the White House said. “Arpaio is now 85 years old, and after more than 50 years of admirable service to our nation, he is worthy candidate for a presidential pardon.”

The president followed the statement with a tweet about two hours later.

It was the first pardon of Trump’s administration. The Justice Department reportedly said it was not consulted about the pardon.

The case has cost Maricopa County millions of dollars in legal fees.

Arpaio was expected to address the pardon on Monday.

However, the former sheriff took to Twitter to thank both his supporters and Trump after the pardon.

Arpaio’s attorney said the pardon saved everyone a lot of time.

“Frankly, this saves everybody a lot of trouble and does what’s right,” Jack Wilenchik told CNN shortly after the pardon was issued.

The president intimated he planned to pardon the former sheriff during an Aug. 22 rally in Phoenix, but did not want to do so while in the city to avoid causing controversy.

Arpaio said he thought Trump may defy his advisers and pardon him at the rally.

About half of respondents in an Arizona poll said pardoning him at the rally would have been a poor decision.

Arpaio was found guilty in late July of misdemeanor contempt when he continued his immigration sweeps for 17 months after a judge ordered him to stop.

His sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 5 and could have faced up to six months in jail. The pardon made him an innocent man.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton called the pardon a slap in the face to Maricopa County’s Latino community.

“Arpaio targeted and terrorized Latino families because of the color of their skin,” Stanton said in a statement.

“He was ordered by a federal judge to stop and he refused. He received a fair trial and a justifiable conviction, and there’s nothing the President can do to change that awful legacy and the stain he has left on our community.”

Other’s echoed Stanton’s criticism, while Arpaio supporters praised the pardon.

Arpaio stumped for the president multiple times during the campaign, including at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

“I have spent 55 years in law enforcement,” the then-sheriff said. “Fifty-five years, I’ve always regarded my work [and] missions critical, but my most important mission has just begun to help elect Donald Trump President of the United States.”

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(AP File Photo) FILE - In this June 23, 2012, file photo, inmates gather next to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio as he walks through a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office jail called "Tent City" in Phoenix. Newly elected Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone announced Tuesday, April 4, 2017, that he will be closing the tent city jail in the coming months and relocating inmates to other jails. (AP Photo/Matt York, File) Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio steps in to the back of a car after leaving U.S. District Court following his latest hearing in the criminal contempt-of-court case against him for violating a judge's orders in a racial profiling case Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) FILE-In this Saturday, June 23, 2012 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio signs autographs for inmates as he walks through a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office jail called "Tent City" in Phoenix. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Matt York, File) FILE-In this Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio pauses while speaking about a detention officer who was shot in Phoenix. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Matt York, File) FILE-In this Thursday, April 3, 1997 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio displays one of the new prisoner uniform tops in downtown Phoenix, Ariz. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Scott Troyanos, File) FILE-In this Thursday, July 29, 2010 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks in Phoenix announcing his crime suppression sweeps. The former longtime sheriff of metro Phoenix will go to court Monday, June 26, 2017, to defend his reputation at a trial in which he's charged with purposefully disobeying a judge's order. Arpaio is charged with criminal contempt-of-court for prolonging his immigration patrols 17 months after a judge ordered them stopped. (AP Photo/Matt York, File) Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, front right, leaves U.S. District Court on the first day of his contempt-of-court trial Monday, June 26, 2017, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) FILE--In this April 9, 2004, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is shown in his office in Phoenix, Ariz. Arpaio has been convicted of a criminal charge Monday, July 31, 2017, for disobeying a court order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants in a conviction that marks a final rebuke for the former sheriff and politician who once drew strong popularity from such crackdowns but was booted from office amid voter frustrations over his deepening legal troubles.(AP Photo/Paul Connors) FILE--In this May 9, 1995, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio talks with media during a news conference announcing the opening of Tent City II in Phoenix, Ariz. Arpaio has been convicted of a criminal charge Monday, July 31, 2017, for disobeying a court order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants in a conviction that marks a final rebuke for the former sheriff and politician who once drew strong popularity from such crackdowns but was booted from office amid voter frustrations over his deepening legal troubles. (AP Photo/T.J. Sokol, file) FILE--In this Nov. 17, 1996, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio talks with reporters following a jail yard meeting with inmates of the "Tent City" section of the Durango facility in downtown Phoenix. Arpaio has been convicted of a criminal charge Monday, July 31, 2017, for disobeying a court order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants in a conviction that marks a final rebuke for the former sheriff and politician who once drew strong popularity from such crackdowns but was booted from office amid voter frustrations over his deepening legal troubles.. (AP Photo/RoyDabner, file) FILE--In this April 17, 2008, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio next to some of his memorabilia in his office in Phoenix. Arpaio has been convicted of a criminal charge Monday, July 31, 2017, for disobeying a court order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants in a conviction that marks a final rebuke for the former sheriff and politician who once drew strong popularity from such crackdowns but was booted from office amid voter frustrations over his deepening legal troubles. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file) FILE--In this July 14, 2006, file photo, Elias Bermudez, president of Immigrants without Borders, kneels before Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio outside the Sheriffs office in Phoenix. Arpaio has been convicted of a criminal charge Monday, July 31, 2017, for disobeying a court order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants in a conviction that marks a final rebuke for the former sheriff and politician who once drew strong popularity from such crackdowns but was booted from office amid voter frustrations over his deepening legal troubles. (AP Photo/Matt York, file) FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2007, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio addresses members of a chain gang in Phoenix. Arpaio has been convicted of a criminal charge Monday, July 31, 2017, for disobeying a court order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants in a conviction that marks a final rebuke for the former sheriff and politician who once drew strong popularity from such crackdowns but was booted from office amid voter frustrations over his deepening legal troubles. (AP Photo/Matt York, File) FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2016 file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined by Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of metro Phoenix, at a campaign event in Marshalltown, Iowa. Trump was just a few weeks into his candidacy in 2015 when came to Phoenix for a speech that ended up being a bigger moment in his campaign than most people realized at the time. And now Trump is coming back to Arizona at another crucial moment in his presidency. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2016, file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was joined by Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of metro Phoenix, during a news conference in Marshalltown, Iowa. On Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017, Trump told Fox News he may grant a pardon to the former sheriff following his recent conviction in federal court. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File) FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2009, file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, left, orders approximately 200 convicted illegal immigrants handcuffed together and moved into a separate area of Tent City, for incarceration until their sentences are served and they are deported to their home countries, in Phoenix. On Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017, President Donald Trump told Fox News he may grant a pardon to the former sheriff following his recent conviction in federal court. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

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Trump pardons former Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio