On Tuesday night, Vice President Mike Pence gave former Sheriff Joe Arpaio a shoutout at an event in Tempe, Ariz., saying he was a “tireless champion of strong borders and the rule of law.”
Pence continued saying Arpaio is “a great friend of this president […] who spent a lifetime in law enforcement” and that he was “honored” to have him in attendance.
“I’m honored to have you here.”
Vice President Mike Pence recognizes ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio during a tax policy event in Arizona, calling Arpaio a “tireless champion of strong borders and the rule of law.” pic.twitter.com/tzmS3sKPnN
— NBC News (@NBCNews) May 1, 2018
The former sheriff of Maricopa County is now running for Jeff Flake’s seat in Arizona, where he faces a stiff test against Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., and Dr. Kelli Ward.
However, when he was sheriff, he was charged and ultimately convicted of criminal contempt of court for “flagrant disregard” for a court order handed down telling his office to stop racially profiling Latinos.
In 2017, President Trump issued a pardon of Arpaio, saying the sheriff was convicted for “doing his job.”
It’s yet to be determined whether Pence knew about the reason for Arpaio’s conviction. Still, the vice president has some questions to answer about praising a man who, objectively speaking, did not respect the rule of law, but arguably instead used his position of power to intimidate and marginalize people of color, namely Latinos.
If anything, this seems like an unnecessary unforced error for Vice President Pence. Joe Arpaio is a stain on the Republican party. There’s no need to keep him around.
