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Sheriff Arpaio Pardon Proves Trump ‘On The Side Of Racism And Discrimination,’ Says Bernie Sanders

By Edge Ison
Published on: 20:42 PST, Aug 26, 2017

Bernie Sanders voiced his concerns over the latest controversial move by U.S. President Donald Trump to pardon former Sheriff Joe Arpaio who was convicted for a case related to racial profiling.

Trump pardoned Arpaio on Friday night, a few days after he said that the former Maricopa County Sheriff was “convicted for doing his job.” Trump first hinted of the possible pardon during his fiery speech at the Phoenix rally held on Tuesday. After Trump made his decision, the social media savvy president announced the pardon on Twitter.

“I am pleased to inform you that I have just granted a full Pardon to 85 year old American patriot Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He kept Arizona safe!”

While most of the president’s supporters and staff are pleased with the pardon, a number of critics are not. Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont is among those not happy with the pardon. The veteran politician and former Democratic Party presidential nominee also took to Twitter to call out Trump.

“By pardoning Sheriff Arpaio, President Trump has once again made clear where he stands: on the side of racism and discrimination,” Sanders said.

Other politicians and some celebrities and also expressed their disgust over the recent actions of Trump. Senator Al Franken said that the pardon is “shameful and appalling” and that “Presidential pardons should not be rewards for bad behavior and discrimination.”

Beau Willimon, creator of House of Cards, said that Trump is “a hateful, cowardly menace” for announcing the “Transgender Ban & Arpaio pardon on the same day, hiding behind the news of Hurricane Harvey.” TV producer Michael Schur, via his Ken Tremendous Twitter account, said

TV producer Michael Schur, via his Ken Tremendous Twitter account, said that “The President is a 71 year-old racist who, during a hurricane, pardoned an 85 year-old racist who’d been convicted of being racist.”

Arpaio was convicted in July of contempt of court after he refused to follow a 2011 court order to cease from racially profiling Latinos. Arpaio, who spent 24 years as sheriff of Maricopa County, is notorious for the way he handled undocumented immigrants during his leadership. He implemented immigration sweeps on neighborhoods with mostly Latino residents, which saw numerous people get arrested for failing to produce any proof of identification. Many of those who were arrested or detained based merely on suspicion were taken to the “Tent City” located in the Arizona desert.

At the “Tent City,” which Arpaio previously described as a “concentration camp,” inmates were forced to wear pink underwear. Arpaio was also criticized for only allowing the detainees to eat twice a day.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the decision of Trump to pardon Arpaio, saying the former sheriff exemplified “selfless public service.”

“After more than 50 years of admirable service to our nation, he is [a] worthy candidate for a presidential pardon.”

Sanders, who was voted the most popular politician in America according to the Harvard-Harris Poll, is a known critic of Trump. Sanders described Trump as “embarrassing” after the president’s comments on the Charlottesville rally and the violence that ensued. Sanders also said that Trump was “on the wrong side of history” after the latter decided to ban transgender personnel from military service.

The Sheriff Arpaio pardon was just one of a number of controversial decisions Trump made and announced just as Hurricane Harvey hit the country. Among the other questionable Trump decisions and actions that were made known on Friday night include an order for the Pentagon to implement his transgender ban in the military and the supposed firing of adviser Sebastian Gorka.

As another Inquisitr article reported, Trump is being accused of using the storm as a cover and for breaking news on a Friday evening, an old political ploy in which most people are thinking of the weekend and are not that focused on the news.

[Featured Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images]

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