Will Trump Pardon Arpaio?

[Lord Jim]

If I had to guess, I'd say that he probably will:

Trump considers Arpaio pardon

Phoenix — Arizona politicians have invoked the “rule of law” for more than a decade as the guiding principle in pushing for tougher immigration laws, arguing that no one — no matter who you are — is above the law.

The rallying cry has become muted as President Donald Trump considers a pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio after a judge found he broke the law in defying a judge while carrying out traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

The president told Fox News that he was seriously considering a pardon for Arpaio, an enthusiastic Trump supporter who shared the stage with him at several campaign rallies and became a close ally in pushing for tougher immigration enforcement.

The prospect has fueled speculation that Trump will issue his first pardon when he comes to Phoenix next week for a rally.

Arpaio was trounced in November after 24 years in office and found guilty last month of a misdemeanor contempt-of-court charge for defying the courts. The conviction stemmed from Arpaio’s decision to prolong immigration patrols after a judge in a racial-profiling lawsuit ordered him to stop them.

He faces up to six months in jail at his Oct. 5 sentencing, though attorneys who have followed the case doubt someone his age would be incarcerated.


Arpaio insisted his disobedience wasn’t intentional and blamed one of his former lawyers for not properly explaining the importance of the court order. The former lawman said he was astonished by the verdict and brushed off the conviction as a “petty crime.”

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/n ... 104725098/

I think pardoning Arpaio is pretty much a political no-brainer for Trump...

(and no-brainer is what he's best at)

There's going to be very little political downside for pardoning an 85 year old man facing a maximum six month misdemeanor sentence that he would probably never get anyway, but Trump will be able to play it up to throw red meat to his base...(a base that has been eroding...)

Making that announcement is probably the whole reason he's set up this Arizona rally...

[dales]

This is the first time Drumph has been west of the Mississippi during his term as POTUS.

I dare that cretin to visit CA.

[RayThom]

A presidential pardon? I'm guessing... YES!

[Lord Jim]

It looks like (unless he changes his mind while he's out on the stage, which is always possible) he won't be pardoning Sheriff Joe today:

White House: Trump won't pardon Arpaio at Phoenix rally

President Trump will not pardon former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio at an Arizona rally on Tuesday, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"There will be no discussion of that today, and no action on that at any point today," Sanders told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday.

Mr. Trump had said he was considering Arpaio, who is a outspoken supporter of the president. "I am seriously considering a pardon for Sheriff Arpaio," Mr. Trump said in an interview with Fox News earlier this month.

Arapio is awaiting sentencing after a federal judge found that he broke the law by implementing traffic stops that targeted immigrants.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-hous ... nix-rally/

ETA:

Apparently, not everyone in Phoenix is laying out the Welcome Mat for Our Beloved President (Hopefully things will stay peaceful):

Thousands set to protest President Trump as he arrives in Phoenix for campaign-style rally

Thousands of protesters are set to descend on downtown Phoenix on Tuesday as President Trump arrives here for a campaign-style rally, as controversy continued to swirl over his assessment that “both sides” were to blame for the racially charged violence that tore through Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month.

Several marches in opposition to Trump were mapped out in recent days, with all converging on the Phoenix Convention Center, where the president is set to take the stage at 7 p.m. local time.

Early Tuesday, nearly 4,000 people indicated on Facebook they would attend an anti-Trump rally at the Herberger Theater Center, less than a block from the convention center. In a separate post, about 3,000 people said they planned to attend a so-called “White Supremacy Will Not Be Pardoned” event downtown organized by Puente Human Rights Movement, a local immigrant rights group.

In addition, several anti-facist groups, also known as antifa, have created online postings, urging supporters to congregate in downtown Phoenix, even as a “Stand for Patriotism” rally and an appearance by the local chapter of Bikers 4 Trump were planned as a show of support for the president.

The rally here in Phoenix, Trump’s first major event in the West since he took office, has local authorities on edge.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said the department is increasing patrols and that she hopes protests remain peaceful.

“There is a distinct difference between voicing your 1st Amendment rights and committing unlawful acts,” Williams told reporters on Monday. “Criminal conduct will be immediately addressed.”

Several streets have been blocked off downtown and police are working to keep counter-protesters and Trump supporters separated.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-p ... story.html

[Sue U]

A pardon for Arpaio seems like a Steve Bannon kind of calculus: how much would a pardon mollify/energize Trump's racist base v. how many "moderate" Trump supporters would it turn off. My guess is that in the wake of Charlottesville it's probably a wash, whereas two weeks ago it probably would have been a net plus for Trump. C'est la vie, Sheriff Joe, your timing sux, and so do you, you racist fuck; you probably won't get jail time because "misdemeanor," no matter how much karma demands you should.

[Sue U]

Well, now we know that Trump will in fact pardon Arpaio. That speech rant fugue state whatever the fuck that was in Phoenix last night sent the message loud and clear to the "alt-right" racists and fascists.

Trump: "I'm not a racist, wink wink, so let me just announce that I'm going to pardon racist and convicted criminal Joe Arpaio, who was actually charged with doing racism in his official duties and found in contempt of court for refusing to stop doing racism in his official duties when a federal judge told him very clearly to knock that racism shit off. I won't pardon him formally tonight because 'controversy,' giant stage wink, but you know exactly what I mean: It's okay to be racist, especially while policing, and extra especially if you're doing it to Messicans. I love all the racist people of America because you will say Trump Trump Trump to pollsters and on Faceplace/Stormfront."

Christ en bicyclette sur Calvaire.

[Big RR]

Yep--those damn --fill in the blank--illegals don't deserve any due process; they're lucky we let them breathe our air. Lock 'em up; damn liberal judges.

[Sue U]

Also, would have loved to see the look on Sarah Huckabee Sanders's face when Trump made the "announcement" in Phoenix, since she had told everybody in the world that there would be nothing about it. A well-oiled machine, that White House!

[Lord Jim]

It probably is "well oiled"...

I imagine most of the folks working there have taken to drinking heavily by now...

[Crackpot]

Apparently, with the threat to shut down the government until we fund the wall, Trump now believes we're Mexico.

[Lord Jim]

Trump decided to take advantage of the wall-to-wall media focus on the disaster bearing down on Texas to pardon Arpaio...

Trump pardons controversial former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio

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.

"I'll make a prediction. I think [Arpaio]'s going to be just fine, OK? But I won't do it tonight because I don't want to cause any controversy," said the president, alluding to a pardon. "Is that OK? ... But Sheriff Joe can feel good."

The White House said Arpaio exemplified "selfless public service" throughout his life and career. "Throughout his time as Sheriff, Arpaio continued his life’s work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration," the release said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/controve ... d=49426093

[Bicycle Bill]

If a seated President is impeached for malfeasance or misconduct in office, can any actions he may have taken as President — including Presidential pardons he might have issued — be vacated, reversed, or rescinded?

-"BB"-

[Lord Jim]

Presidential pardons are just about the only decisions that can't be reversed by a successor President, Bill.

[Guinevere]

Arpaio pardon is a slap to the judiciary

Excellent take on the disgusting pardon. There is not much worse than contempt of court. Even in liberal MA it gets the highest priority and the judges take it very seriously. I've gotten a defendant jailed because he refused to comply with a court order, and it was over nothing like the nonsense Arpaio pulled.

[RayThom]

FUCK TRUMP!!!

[BoSoxGal]

I just spent some time this afternoon reading some of the Phoenix independent paper New Times's coverage of Arpaio over the years, and it was beyond sickening. So many idiots who support this pardon think Arpaio's biggest sin is defying an Obama judge regarding improper treatment of illegals or those alleged to be illegals - and that behavior certainly was despicable.

But the bigger sins of Joe Arpaio and his twisted crew of 'tough on crime' jailers is the sickeningly inhumane conditions they imposed on folks incarcerated in Maricopa county jails, many of whom were awaiting trial under the presumption of innocence - often for petty crimes, stuck in jail because they were too poor to bail out. A lot of those folks died horrible deaths caused by jailer brutality or absence of basic medical care - the county paid out @ $50 million in settlements over Arpaio's tenure for cases directly linked to the sociopathic incarceration philosophy he fostered among his staff.

I'd encourage folks who aren't familiar to visit the New Times archives and read some of the stories - but prepare to be truly horrified.

I really don't think I could possibly think any less of Trump than I do now.

[Crackpot]

Ye of little faith. I wouldn't put it past Trump to pull a "Martin Sheen in Dead Zone". Only difference Is Trump would be proud of using an infant as a human shield.

[rubato]

Andrew Dulaney was very colorful in his negative descriptions of Arpaio.


yrs,
rubato

[rubato]

Can the president pardon someone who has not been charged or convicted?


yrs,
rubato

[Guinevere]

Can the president pardon someone who has not been charged or convicted?


yrs,
rubato

The pardon power is limited to "offenses against the United States," so an answer is probably not. It would not surprise me if someone else argued the contrary, and I haven't researched the question, so I'm mostly guessing.

One bit of good news that just appeared: Cracks and more cracks, starting to appear

These are the kind of cracks we need for the House to be willing to take up articles of Impeachment.