Report: Arpaio Initially Wondered If His Pardon Was 'Fake'
- 7 years ago
Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio did not initially believe the presidential pardon he was granted on Friday was real.
Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio did not initially believe the presidential pardon he was granted on Friday was real, reports the Arizona Republic.
He was in disbelief when first shown a copy of the ‘Executive Grant of Clemency’ and asked if it was a fake, according to Mark Goldman, Arpaio’s attorney.
Arpaio later told the Republic, “I’m very good at investigating fake government documents.”
The former sheriff is largely known for his controversial means of finding illegal immigrants, which reportedly involved racial profiling and detaining suspects even when evidence was lacking, notes the New York Times.
In 2011, a federal district judge ordered him to stop, but he reportedly did not.
Just last month, Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt of court, reports MassLive.
Since the granting of clemency, many on both sides of the aisle have made it clear they do not support the president’s decision.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement, “Law-enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States. We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon.”
Senator John McCain commented, “No one is above the law, and the individuals entrusted with the privilege of being sworn law officers should always seek to be beyond reproach in their commitment to fairly enforcing the laws they swore to uphold.”
Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio did not initially believe the presidential pardon he was granted on Friday was real, reports the Arizona Republic.
He was in disbelief when first shown a copy of the ‘Executive Grant of Clemency’ and asked if it was a fake, according to Mark Goldman, Arpaio’s attorney.
Arpaio later told the Republic, “I’m very good at investigating fake government documents.”
The former sheriff is largely known for his controversial means of finding illegal immigrants, which reportedly involved racial profiling and detaining suspects even when evidence was lacking, notes the New York Times.
In 2011, a federal district judge ordered him to stop, but he reportedly did not.
Just last month, Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt of court, reports MassLive.
Since the granting of clemency, many on both sides of the aisle have made it clear they do not support the president’s decision.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement, “Law-enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States. We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon.”
Senator John McCain commented, “No one is above the law, and the individuals entrusted with the privilege of being sworn law officers should always seek to be beyond reproach in their commitment to fairly enforcing the laws they swore to uphold.”