Sheriff David Clarke Has A New Job
Sheriff David Clarke is on the move.
The controversial, no-nonsense former Wisconsin lawman, who is a vocal President Trump supporter and police champion, is joining a pro-Trump political action committee as spokesman and senior adviser.
On August 31, Clarke submitted his resignation as sheriff effective at one minute before midnight. Clarke was previously due to resign this summer for a role in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, but the job didn’t come through for whatever reason. Much has been written about how unlike GOP establishment figures, many of whom were not on the Trump train originally, Trump loyalists have had difficulties getting or holding on to jobs in the Trump administration. Like Steve Bannon, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, and Anthony Scaramucci, among others, Clarke may find it easier advancing the Trump agenda outside rather than inside the administration, however.
Clarke has joined up with the America First Action super PAC, the organization’s president announced, according to The Daily Caller.
“David Clarke is an American patriot, and we are very proud to welcome him to America First. Having spent a lifetime in law enforcement — protecting and serving his community and fighting for justice and the Second Amendment — Sheriff Clarke doesn’t just believe in making America safe again; he’s devoted his life to it.”
— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) September 6, 2017
A former city of Milwaukee police commander, Clarke, a Democrat, served as county sheriff from March 19, 2002, to August 31, 2017, and was reelected to his fourth term in that job in 2014. As alluded to above, he is an outspoken supporter of gun rights and firearms training, and was a fierce critic of the Obama administration, particularly in what he claimed was its war on police. Clarke is a foe of the Black Lives Matter movement, in the past describing it as, among other things, a Frankenstein monster and a collection of misfits, and renaming it “Black Lies Matter.”
He was previously a patrolman, a homicide detective, a lieutenant of detectives, and a captain on the Milwaukee police department. From among 10 applicants, Clarke was originally appointed sheriff in 2002 by then-Governor Scott McCallum after the incumbent accepted a pension sweetener; he was elected to a full term later that same year, followed by reelections in 2006, 2010, and 2014.
Commenting on his new job, ex-Sheriff Clarke had this to say.
“It gives me the chance to do what I love most — promote President Trump’s agenda, including his fierce support for the American law enforcement officer, and ensure that the will of the American people who got President Trump elected is not derailed by the left or the self-serving Washington establishment.”
Former Trump presidential campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has also joined the same super PAC.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is accepting applications from those who want to take over for Clarke. In the meantime, Richard R. Schmidt is serving as acting sheriff, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Clarke has faced some criticism for being a media-focused, absentee sheriff as his nationwide profile grew.
“Over his tenure in Milwaukee law enforcement, Clarke’s jail was repeatedly accused of mistreating inmates, and some staff members there are currently under investigation,” Politico noted. He has also denied allegations of plagiarism in his master’s thesis.
With his signature cowboy hat, Sheriff David Clarke found himself in the national spotlight as a law-and-order advocate with regular appearances on the Fox News Channel, CNN, and other media outlets, ever since advising his Wisconsin constituents some years ago in a series of viral ads to arm themselves against intruders rather than hiding under the bed and waiting for overworked, undermanned cops to arrive.
[Featured Image by Susan Walsh/AP Images]
