Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio could have spent six months of his forced retirement behind bars.

But President Donald Trump pardoned Arpaio of criminal contempt of court.

Since then, Arpaio has decided to fill his undying need for public attention by filing lawsuits. A while back he sued The New York Time for libel.

Now, with the help of Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch, Arpaio is suing CNN president Jeff Zucker, host Chris Cuomo, CNN, the Huffington Post, and Rolling Stone magazine for defamation.

He’s asking for more than $300 million in actual and punitive damages.

Don't forget what Arpaio cost you

As time passes, it’s easy for us to forget the behavior that got Arpaio into trouble and all the misery he caused. As well as the tens of millions he cost Maricopa County taxpayers.

The former sheriff was convicted of intentionally violating a judge’s order to stop his department's enforcement of federal immigration laws. The raids conducted by Arpaio's deputies got him lots of attention.

And attention is what Arpaio seems to need more than anything.

The then-sheriff was ordered to stop his enforcement efforts following a lawsuit by American Civil Liberties Union and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Essentially, the federal law he was using wasn’t meant to be used for random street operations. Instead, officers are only supposed to check someone’s immigration status if they are arrested for something beyond a traffic ticket.

A court order went ignored

U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow ordered the raids to stop. Arpaio ignored him. He did so boastfully. Often publicly. He acted as if he was above the law. Or that he WAS the law.

Snow referred Arpaio’s case to federal prosecutors for consideration of criminal charges. (Snow also believed prosecutors could go after Arpaio for perjury. They decided against doing that.)

Arpaio was charged with criminal contempt for violating the judge’s order.

The sheriff was tried before U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton. She decided that “the evidence shows a flagrant disregard for Judge Snow’s order.”

Arpaio could have gotten up to six months in the slammer.

An undying need for attention

Instead he got a presidential pardon.

He could have faded away after that, having cost Maricopa County taxpayers tens of millions of dollars based and his racial profiling raids and tens of millions more for other abuses that occurred during Arpaio’s watch.

But no.

Arpaio wants more attention. And money.

And, even worse, given all the suffering and distress he’s caused over the years, Arpaio wants to play … the victim.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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