HINTS AT POSSIBILITY OF PARDON FOR CRIMINAL CONVICTION
by Sharon Rondeau
(Aug. 22, 2017) — At 10:45 p.m. EDT at a rally in Phoenix, AZ, President Donald Trump asked attendees if former Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio was “convicted for doing his job,” referring to his misdemeanor criminal conviction declared by Judge Susan R. Bolton on July 31 against the 85-year-old, six-term sheriff.
Arpaio was prosecuted for criminal contempt of court by the U.S. Justice Department as a result of a civil case which ran for almost nine years.
In May 2016, U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow found Arpaio guilty of civil contempt of court for disobeying his December 23, 2011 order to stop patrols aimed at apprehending illegal aliens in Maricopa County.
Despite the presentation of credible evidence of bias on Snow’s part during the civil-contempt hearings, Snow refused to recuse himself during the 2015 hearings. He also chose to take the accusation to court instead of accepting Arpaio’s offer to pay the plaintiffs restitution from his personal funds.
After declaring Arpaio in civil contempt last year, Snow referred the case for possible criminal prosecution to the U.S. attorney for Arizona, who claimed a conflict of interest. The case then went to the Justice Department, government prosecutors announced just days before early voting began last October that they would prosecute Arpaio, who was seeking a seventh term as Maricopa County sheriff.
During his 24 years as sheriff, Arpaio had earned a reputation for stringent enforcement of federal immigration law and the apprehension of drug dealers and other criminals.
Trump’s audience resoundingly agreed that Arpaio was treated harshly in exchange for his stance on immigration.
Once their chorus of responses was heard, Trump said of Arpaio, “I think he’s gonna be just fine” in an apparent reference to Trump’s statement last week that he was “seriously considering” issuing a presidential pardon to Arpaio.
Trump indicated that he would not issue the pardon during the rally but commented that he was aware that Arpaio did not receive a trial by jury as his attorneys had requested.
He referred to a small number of protesters outside of the Phoenix Convention Center, contradicting predictions of thousands of vocal opponents.
Dr. Jerome Corsi of Infowars has reported on several occasions that Arpaio’s case was not brought to Trump’s attention by his aides, despite assiduous efforts to reach him as well as Attorney General Jeff Sessions prior to the commencing of the trial on June 26.
Earlier on Tuesday, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Air Force One that Trump would not issue the pardon to Arpaio during the rally, which Arpaio reportedly was not invited to attend.
For more than an hour, Trump excoriated the major media, his detractors, the left-wing socialist group Antifa, Congress, illegal immigration, and the criticism he received following a demonstration which turned deadly on August 19 in Charlottesville, VA.
He spoke about veterans’ affairs, the removal of Confederate war monuments and memorials, and his approval of increases in military spending.
Prior to the rally, Trump visited a Border Patrol station at Yuma, whose staff he praised. He also visited the U.S. Marines Air Corps Station.
Just after 11:00 p.m. EDT/8:00 p.m. PDT, without mentioning any names, Trump referred to the “single vote” which prevented a vote for a “skinny repeal” of Obamacare to take place on the Senate floor cast by Sen. John McCain.
Trump referred to “the other senator” as one who is “weak on borders,” referring to Sen. Jeff Flake.
He did not mention Dr. Kelli Ward, a former Arizona state senator, who is challenging Flake in the Republican primary next year.
At 11:09 p.m., Trump called to the podium three Arizona congressmen who have been supportive of his agenda: Paul Gosar, Trent Franks, and Andy Biggs. “Never let them go, folks,” Trump said to the audience.
Trump praised his administration’s loosening of regulations which has prompted the reopening of coal mines and put miners back to work. He also touted tax reform but qualified it with, “We need the help of Congress.”
This story was updated at 8:23 a.m. EDT on August 23, 2017.
Accepting a pardon has nothing to do with an admission of guilt; all it has to do is accepting a pardon.
One time while attending FAU I had a class on a Thursday night. It was windy and raining cats and dogs so I parked in the faulty parking lot, the only vehicle in that particular lot. There were, easily, 199 empty spaces and when I got out of class there were still 199 empty spaces with a parking ticket wrapped in a plastic bag on my windshield wiper.
Yes, it is true that I didn’t have permission to park in that particular parking spot.
What you going to do, fine me?
Which is what they did.
Did I pay the fine?
What do you think?
You have the letter of the law verses the spirit of the law and I have to say that the Sheriff was doing his job and not bowing down to the anti-American stupidity out of Washington (back then it was Obama and Eric Holder) that is gripping our nation these days.
Had I won the 700 million dollar lottery I’d erect one BIG statue of Sheriff Arpaio, at least 80 feet tall, and I’d pay for 24-hour security and I’d surround the statue with tanks.
And I’d have Robert E. Lee astide his horse Traveller there somewhere, too.
OPOVV
The double hearsay about the rumor about what Judge Snow’s wife might have said had no bearing on the proceedings in Judge Bolton’s court. Which were about Arpaio’s intentionally disobeying a court order to stop violating the Fourth Amendment.
@James Carter: Do you get all of your legal advice from random Daily Kos bloggers?
And, of course, Clinton was neither charged with nor convicted of a crime; there’s nothing to admit. Unlike Arpaio.
What’s this I hear about district court judge g murray snow had his widdy biddy feelings hurt about something between his wife and “Hero Sheriff Joe Arpaio? “.
Oh well, it’s hard to avoid being railroaded by the “Union Swamp Pacific Railroad.”
Farson & TF Bow:
Why would what would have been good for Hillary Clinton also not be good for Joe Arpaio?
Pardoning Hillary Clinton Does Not Imply Guilt
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/10/29/1588335/-Pardoning-Hillary-Clinton-Does-Not-Imply-Guilt
Farson’s comment assumes that the president will pardon Arpaio, as the comment (“I’m fine with this”) is in response to the article’s “HINTS AT POSSIBILITY OF PARDON FOR CRIMINAL CONVICTION.” If Arpaio accepts the pardon, the acceptance is an admission of guilt.
No, Farson is not correct…he said ” Arpaio admits guilt,” Arpaio hasn’t done any such thing. Get your facts straight.
According to the Supreme Court if you accept Presidential pardon you are admitting you are guilty. You give up are rights to an appeal. It us why I suspect there will be no pardon until after Arpaio has exhausted all of his appeals.
Farson is correct: accepting a pardon is an admission of guilt.
In response to “Farson” embellished comment below…No, Sheriff Joe Arpaio is not admitting guilt in anything. Trump’s enemies are fools and don’t have anything to destroy him with. “Destroy?”…what a cynical fairytale Farson “twinkletoes” conjured up out of magical voo-doo dust. Trump is not a racist no more than Farson isn’t a newborn baby snatcher from local hospitals. These nut job liberals are still so naive they continue to think that the word illegal means race. Uhhh, I hate to use the word stupid but when someone uses the word illegal alien and a stupid liberal says they’re racist well, that’s “plum” stupid.
I’m fine with this. Arpaio admits guilt in defying that court order, and Trump’s enemies get a fresh salvo to destroy him with. This couldn’t have played out any better for the Liberals. Trump is proving he supports racism.
Leak: Trump is signing Arpaio’s pardon today.
Arpaio is on Alex Jones 2:00pm EST.