President Donald Trump issued a formal pardon of Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Friday. Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt after violating a judge’s order in an immigration case, a misdemeanor charge with a six-month jail sentence that Arpaio will now not serve.
There was the usual outrage you’d expect from the Left, and all the nonsense about Trump’s “lack of regard” for law and order by granting the pardon. But none of that matters – Trump’s ability to grant the pardon is completely lawful.
So what are Arpaio’s plans as a free man? Given that he won’t have to budget a six-month jail sentence into his schedule anymore, he’s teasing at a political run against Arizona senator Jeff Flake, a Republican of the “Never Trump” brand. Dr. Kelli Ward is currently Flake’s main competitor for his Senate seat – whom Flake is trailing by 14 points.
Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2017
Arpaio told the Washington Examiner “I’m sure getting a lot of people around the state asking me to challenge Flake. All I’m saying is the door is open and we’ll see what happens. I’ve got support. I know what support I have.” Arpaio also told the Examiner that he swore off another candidacy in January, but “with what I’ve seen happening in recent months, especially what’s happening with our president, I said, ‘Hey, why not?'”
Given that Arpaio served six terms as sheriff, clearly he has a base that he can rely on if he wants to challenge Flake.
The 85-year old former sheriff could just be teasing the media, but if he runs, the “Never Trump” Republican he’ll be running against is guaranteed a tough reelection race.
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