Friday, August 25, 2017

The Arpaio Pardon

Multiple sources are reporting President Trump has pardoned Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Paul Mirengoff, who blogs at Power Line, describes the situation under which Arpaio was convicted of contempt of court. It is relatively clear it was a politically motivated prosecution, just as the pardon is likewise politically motivated.

Sheriff Joe was a zealous enforcer of immigration law during the Obama era. It was a time when the federal government, at the President's behest, chose not to enforce the full spectrum of existing federal immigration law.

Most COTTonLINE readers would probably support a prosecution of former President Obama for dereliction of duty. For failure to carry out his oath to enforce a federal law he found politically inexpedient and/or distasteful. That prosecution isn't going to happen.

We now have a President who promised to enforce existing immigration law, and is doing so with vigor. The Arpaio pardon is logical given the platform on which Trump was elected.

Meanwhile the senior Senator from Arpaio's home state of AZ, supposed Republican John McCain, continues to demonstrate RINO qualities by criticizing the President for the pardon and the ex-sheriff for enforcing the law.