Trump pardons former Sheriff Joe Arpaio

President Donald Trump
pardoned Joe Arpaio on Friday, sparing the
controversial former Arizona sheriff a jail
sentence after he was convicted of criminal
contempt related to his hard-line tactics going
after undocumented immigrants.

The move drew outcry from civil rights groups,
which accuse Arpaio of violating the
Constitution in his crackdown on illegal
immigration.
During last year's presidential campaign,
Arpaio was a vocal proponent of Trump's
candidacy, and used his national notoriety to
advocate for Trump's similarly aggressive
stance on border security and deportations.

In a brief statement released late Friday
evening, the White House praised Arpaio's
career.
"Throughout his time as sheriff, Arpaio
continued his life's work of protecting the
public from the scourges of crime and illegal
immigration," the statement read. "Sheriff Joe
Arpaio is now 85 years old, and after more
than 50 years of admirable service to our
nation, he is (a) worthy candidate for a
Presidential pardon."

Arpaio thanked Trump on Twitter.
"Thank you @realdonaldtrump for seeing my
conviction for what it is: a political witch hunt
by holdovers in the Obama justice
department!," he posted.

Trump did not consult Justice Department

The pardon is the first of Trump's presidency,
though he did not follow his predecessors'
practice of consulting with lawyers at the
Justice Department before announcing his
decision.

Source: cnn