Washington (CNN) On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence was in Tempe, Arizona, to headline an event for the pro-Trump outside group America First Policies. (That group has its own problems.) In his speech, Pence singled out former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for praise.

"A great friend of this president, a tireless champion of strong borders and the rule of law," Pence said. "Sheriff Joe Arpaio, I'm honored to have you here."

There are a few things wrong with that statement by Pence.

First, the idea that Arpaio is a "tireless champion ... (of) the rule of law" is provably false.

In 2011, a federal judge ordered Arpaio to stop stopping anyone who was not directly suspected of having committed a state or federal crime. (The lawsuit came as the result of the 2007 detention of a Mexican man who had a tourist visa.) Arpaio never acknowledged that order and continued on enforcing his own brand of immigration policy. He was found guilty of criminal contempt and was scheduled to be sentenced last fall -- just as President Donald Trump stepped in and pardoned the controversial sheriff

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