President tells a rally in Phoenix that Arpaio was ‘going to be just fine’ but that he wouldn’t pardon him immediately because he wanted to avoid controversy

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Donald Trump has signalled his willingness to pardon former sheriff Joe Arpaio over his conviction for intentionally disobeying a judge’s order in an immigration case.

The US president suggested he would pardon Arpaio in front of a crowd at a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday evening.

Addressing the crowd Trump said: “Do the people in this room like Sheriff Joe?” His question was followed by cheers and chants of “Pardon Joe!”

He added: “Was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job? He should have had a jury. I’ll make a prediction. I think he’s going to be just fine.

But the president stopped short of pardoning Arpaio, telling the crowd, to their visible disappointment: “But I won’t do it tonight because I don’t want to cause any controversy.”

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Trump had said eight days ago that he was considering a pardon of Arpaio’s misdemeanour contempt of court conviction for intentionally defying a judge’s order to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. However, hours before the Phoenix event, his staff had said he wouldn’t talk about pardoning Arpaio during the rally.



Longtime critics of the retired sheriff say a pardon would remove the last chance at holding Arpaio legally accountable for a long history of misconduct during his 24 years as metro Phoenix’s top law enforcer. They cited a racial profiling verdict against the sheriff’s office, allegations that Arpaio retaliated against his political foes and other alleged misconduct.

Earlier in the day, Arpaio said he wasn’t disappointed.

“No, no,” he said. “They just decided not to do it tonight. We’ll have to see if and when it occurs in the future.”

Arpaio said he wasn’t expecting a pardon so soon.

Trump and Arpaio became linked during the 2016 campaign for their like-minded views on immigration. Both politicians also have questioned the authenticity of then-President Barack Obama’s birth certificate and have a similar history in sparring with judges.

Arpaio’s violation of the 2011 court order is believed to have contributed to his 2016 loss to little-known retired Phoenix police Sgt Paul Penzone.

As it now stands, Arpaio is scheduled to be sentenced on 5 October The 85-year-old faces up to six months in jail, though attorneys who have followed the case doubt someone his age would be incarcerated.

Associated Press contributed to this report