President Trump’s desire to defend Sheriff Joe Arpaio was so strong he went so far as to ask Attorney General Jeff Sessions if the case against the Arizona sheriff could be dropped.
Arpaio, who had served as the Maricopa County sheriff for over two decades, was a ferocious political ally to Trump in the presidential campaign stretching back to 2015. But the friendship between the two is reported to reach back as far as five years.
“We knew the president wanted to do this for some time now and had worked to prepare for whenever the moment may come,” an anonymous source was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.
The report also said advisors told the president any intervention by the Justice Department would be inappropriate.
The White House deflected questions about the conversations with Sessions.
“It’s only natural the president would have a discussion with administration lawyers about legal matters,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told the Post. “This case would be no different.”
Arpaio had been found in contempt of court for continuing to stop using traffic patrols that targeted illegal immigrants.
Even though it was expected for some time, the pardon created an instant controversy.
Republican Sen. John McCain, a fellow Arizonan to Arpaio, said in a statement, “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.”
On Sunday, Trump’s homeland security advisor Tom Bossert defended the president. Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Bossert said, “I certainly don’t think it’s fair to characterize him as not caring about the rule of law.”
Others have criticized the White House for issuing the pardon on Friday, at the same time Hurricane Harvey was closing in on the Texas Gulf Coast. Those critics accused the White House of trying to bury the controversial news by using the amount of hurricane news as cover.
Trump’s pardon departed from normal procedures because the president didn’t consult with the Justice Department.
Arpaio was set to be sentenced in October, and faced up to six months in prison.
