Now that former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been convicted of criminal contempt, he says he would accept a pardon from President Donald Trump.
“Whatever the president wants me to do, I would support him,” Arpaio told the Arizona Republic. “If he needs help with anything, of course, I’m going to help him.”
Arpaio was a big Donald Trump supporter during the 2016 election and was on hand to introduce Trump during several Arizona rallies. He also spoke at the Republican National Convention and went to D.C. to witness the president’s inauguration.
Still, Arpaio said he would not call the president and plead for a pardon.
“I’m not going to ask him,” Arpaio concluded. “I think, I believe he may not even know about this, which will become a different story in a couple days, with a bigger, much bigger picture than just me.”
After losing a bid for re-election, Arpaio was brought up on charges for refusing a judge’s orders to stop traffic patrols that critics said targeted immigrants. In July, a Bill Clinton-appointed judge convicted Arpaio of misdemeanor criminal contempt. The conviction carries a six-month sentence.
The White House has issued no statements about Arpaio’s legal troubles.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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