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U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton canceled former Sheriff Joe Arpaio's upcoming sentencing hearing for his criminal contempt-of-court conviction, telling attorneys not to file replies to motions that were pending before his recent presidential pardon. However, Bolton on Tuesday stopped short of throwing out the conviction based solely on Arpaio's request. Instead she ordered Arpaio and the U.S. Department of Justice, which is prosecuting the case, to file briefs on why she should or shouldn't grant Arpaio's request. Bolton has scheduled oral arguments on the matter for Oct. 4, the day before Arpaio was supposed to be sentenced. There is...

After President Trump’s pardon of ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio, who had been convicted of criminal contempt for violating a court order designed to stop the violation of the constitutional rights of suspected illegal immigrants, conventional wisdom — and certainly the Trump administration — would have us believe that Trump’s pardon powers are unlimited. However, never before has someone stretched the pardon power so beyond its original intent. Trump has now drawn scrutiny not simply from critics of his racist rhetoric but from the court itself. The Arizona Republic Reports: U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton canceled former Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s upcoming...

Never one to shy away from speaking his mind, Republican Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.) came out swinging Wednesday, publicly criticizing two members of his own party: President Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. During Christie’s rounds on cable news early Wednesday morning, MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski asked the governor whether he agreed with Trump’s decision last week to pardon former Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of federal criminal contempt after disobeying a court order to stop targeting Latinos in his illegal alien sweeps. “My understanding has always been that one of the prerequisites you look...

"Let Me Tell You Who Obama Pardoned" Trump Destroys Reporter Over Joe Arpaio Pardon

Keith Olbermann's friends and family may want to check on him after a particularly troubling Twitter meltdown. The corybantic ravings and fanatical delusions displayed in his tweets are cause for alarm. His particular frantic symptoms are familiar to anyone who has read Old Yeller. Agitation, salivation, foaming at the mouth, confusion, hallucination, and extreme anxiety are sure signs of a rabies infection -- and Olbermann appears to be in the late stages. The confusion stage of the disease started with this tweet about Trump not declaring the flooding in Texas a national disaster fast enough, even though a president must...

Donald Trump has retweeted a message criticizing former president Barack Obama for “pardoning” a “traitor” just days after facing a backlash over his own pardoning of controversial former sheriff Joe Arpaio. The president shared a tweet from Fox News journalist Katie Pavlich, who incorrectly suggested Obama pardoned Chelsea Manning during an online debate with Obama’s former National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes over Trump’s decision to pardon Arpaio. Obama in fact commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence, meaning her prison sentence was cut short but the conviction stands, whereas a pardon is usually granted for people based on good conduct and removes civil...

The US Department of Justice's pardon office did not review former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio's pardon, a DOJ official confirmed to BuzzFeed News late Friday. It didn't have to. The US Constitution gives the president broad power to issue pardons and commute sentences, and there is no law requiring the president to consult with the Justice Department. President Trump is not the first president to issue a pardon that didn't go through DOJ ...

After receiving President Trump's first pardon, Joe Arpaio's plans have gone from possible prison to book-writing, speeches and potentially another run for office in Arizona, with Sen. Jeff Flake's seat one opportunity he is eyeing. The former Maricopa County sheriff told the Washington Examiner he's upset at negative reaction to the Friday pardon, and that he feels Republican politicians are insufficiently supportive of the president, who he calls a great man. "I could run for mayor, I could run for legislator, I could run for Senate," Arpaio said Monday. One particular race, however, is likely to gain significant attention: the...

Arizona politics might get a lot more interesting after former Sheriff Joe Arpaio mused to the Washington Examiner on Monday about challenging Senator Jeff Flake for his Senate seat. Washington Examiner reports: The former Maricopa County sheriff told the Washington Examiner he’s upset at negative reaction to the Friday pardon, and that he feels Republican politicians are insufficiently supportive of the president, who he calls a great man. “I could run for mayor, I could run for legislator, I could run for Senate,” Arpaio said Monday. One particular race, however, is likely to gain significant attention: the GOP primary next...

"The President shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment." Why did President Donald Trump pardon Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, late Friday night? The greatest weakness of conservatives is that we are poor at explaining. A President would be wise to always release a full explanation every time he issues a pardon. Sheriff Joe announced that he will be explaining the case against him—”a political witch hunt by holdovers in the Obama Justice Department” this coming week. But first Arpaio wants to check with his attorneys...

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” network contributor Ana Navarro said President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Maricopa County, AZ Sheriff Joe Arpaio was akin to “Castro’s Cuba,” where government officials are pardoned when they “behave like thugs.”

It did not take long after President Trump’s pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio for Twitter tantrums to flare and political elites to become reactionary, including the following statements from Arizona’s Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake

As Joseph Arpaio’s federal case headed toward trial this past spring, President Trump wanted to act to help the former Arizona county sheriff who had become a campaign-trail companion and a partner in their crusade against illegal immigration. The president asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions whether it would be possible for the government to drop the criminal case against Arpaio, but was advised that would be inappropriate, according to three people with knowledge of the conversation. After talking with Sessions, Trump decided to let the case go to trial, and if Arpaio was convicted, he could grant clemency. Trump and...

How do you feel about President Trump pardoning Sheriff Joe Arpaio? It was wrong and President Trump should be impeached for it. It was a political end to a political prosecution. I'm not sure.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) wasn't just against President Donald Trump's pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio--he went as far as to say that the pardon was a violation of the Oath of Office. On Twitter, Wyden said that pardoning Arpaio sent a message that as long as a person supports Trump, they will be permitted to break the law. Follow Ron Wyden ✔@RonWyden The Arpaio pardon says, if you are a law-enforcement official who supports Trump, break the law & he'll protect you. 6:35 AM - Aug 26, 2017 Follow Ron Wyden ✔@RonWyden This strikes at the heart of...

President Trump stood up for justice and for enforcement of our immigration laws when he courageously granted a pardon Friday to Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. Despite knowing he would face criticism, the president did what was right. Arpaio was convicted by a federal judge in July of criminal contempt after being charged with violating a court order that attempted to prevent suspected illegal immigrants from being targeted by the sheriff’s traffic patrols. The sheriff acknowledged continuing the patrols, but said that targeting was not the focus. Arpaio’s conviction arose out of a lawsuit wrongfully accusing...

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said the pardon gave the wrong appearance, noting that Rich's ex-wife, Denise Rich, is a fundraiser for the Democratic Party. "I do not question the motives, nor do I know the motives for the president pardoning Mr. Rich," McCain said. "I do know that there's a terrible appearance of impropriety when a million dollars in soft money is given by the ex-wife of a fugitive from justice." McCain spoke at a press conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, to promote his campaign finance reform legislation with Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin.

Chelsea E. Manning: "why does everyone insist on comparing my commutation with the pardon of some crooked cop ??"

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., is fully behind President Trump’s demand for full congressional funding for a border wall and both he and his constituents are exasperated with the state’s two Republican senators for offering no solutions of their own to overhaul or repeal Obamacare. “They’re furious at our senators. There isn’t one meeting I don’t have where people are going off on our two senators. Leadership comes at a price and that means you have to put solutions on the table. That means that ‘No’ can’t be your answer, it’s going to be what it takes to be ‘Yes,'” said...

I was born in Mexico, grew up in Tijuana, and moved to Arizona when I was 14. I went to high school in a small town called Holbrook, then went to Phoenix to go to Arizona State University. By that time, roughly 2012, Joe Arpaio's vicious anti-Latino tactics had already raised racial tensions in Maricopa County, where he was sheriff. At the time, Arpaio was infamous among my community for his "sweeps." He would send police into restaurants, hotels or anywhere else he suspected undocumented people might be working and would arrest those who couldn't produce IDs. People lived in...