Arizona Rep. Trent Franks believes Trump will pardon Arpaio, supports it

PHOENIX — U.S. Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) believes that President Donald Trump will pardon former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and wants him to follow through.

“I so hope that the President will pardon Joe Arpaio,” Franks told KTAR News. “The prosecution there was politically motivated from the very beginning.”

Trump is reportedly mulling the pardon.

“He’s a great American patriot and I hate to see what has happened to him,” the president said.

Franks also addressed Arpaio’s situation in a press release, declaring his support for the potential pardon.

Sheriff Arpaio has been a long-respected member of the law enforcement community who has dedicated his life to keeping Arizona communities safe. He has no prior convictions, no criminal record, no record of wrongs. In his twilight years, he deserves to retire peacefully and enjoy the satisfaction of a hard-earned and honorable retirement.

Let us have an honest moment – this has been a political prosecution from the beginning. The real reason Arpaio is in legal trouble right now is because a Clinton-appointed judge decided to issue a judgment that contradicted every single witness that testified in the case.

Pardoning Sheriff Arpaio would be celebrated by Arizonans that appreciate and respect a man who has accomplished so much for law and order in our state. It would absolutely be the right thing for President Trump to pardon Sheriff Joe.

Others have spoken against the action, including Arizona Reps. Ruben Gallego, Raul Grijalva, Tom O’Halleran and Kyrsten Sinema.

Trump will hold a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday. It will mark his first visit to Arizona since he became president.

A judge ruled that Arpaio had purposely ignored a federal court order to stop traffic patrols targeting suspected undocumented immigrants.

Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 5.

KTAR News’ Tom Perumean contributed to this story.

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