Trump pardons controversial sheriff, Joe Arpaio, convicted of criminal contempt over racial profiling

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday granted a pardon to former Arizona lawman andpolitical ally Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed "toughest sheriffin America," less than a month after he was convicted ofcriminal contempt in a case involving his department's racialprofiling policy.

Trump had signalled this week that the first presidentialpardon of his administration would go to Arpaio, 85, whom he has frequently praised for his hardline immigration stance.

• Trump's hinted pardon of ally Joe Arpaio called 'extremely unusual'

The White House said the ex-sheriff of Arizona's Maricopa County was a "worthy candidate" for a presidential pardon.

The action came several days after Trump, at a rally in downtown Phoenix, strongly hinted that he intended to issue a pardon.

Both questioned Obama'sbirthplace

"So was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job?" Trump asked supporters. "I'll make a prediction. I think he's going to be just fine, OK."

Arpaio, who became linked withTrump during the campaign for their hardline immigration views, was convicted of a misdemeanour for intentionally defying a judge's order to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

Both politicians questioned the authenticity of then-President Barack Obama's birth certificate and have a similar history in sparring with judges.

"I have to thank the president for what he has done, that's for sure," Arpaio told Reuters in a brief telephone interview
from his Arizona home. "He's a big supporter of lawenforcement."

'I'm not going away'

Arpaio said his lawyer was sent a copy of the pardon on Friday afternoon and he has scheduled a newsconference to
discuss what he said were new details in the case. He declinedto say if he would run again for sheriff.

"I'm not going away," added Arpaio.

Civil rights advocates slammed Trump's decision as anendorsement of racist and unlawful immigration policies.

"Once again, the president has acted in support of illegal,failed immigration enforcement practices that target people of
colour and that have been struck down by the courts," saidAmerican Civil Liberties Union deputy legal director Cecilia
Wang, who sought the court injunction against Arpaio.

'A dangerous message'

Vanita Gupta, president of the Leadership Conference onCivil and Human Rights and former head of the U.S. Justice
Department's civil rights division, said in a statement that the pardon sends"a dangerous message that a law enforcement officerwho abused his position of power and defied a court order cansimply be excused by a president who himself clearly does notrespect the law."

Arpaio, who campaigned for Trump in 2016, was convicted onJuly 31 by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton, who ruled he hadwillfully violated a 2011 injunction barring his officers fromstopping and detaining Latino motorists solely on suspicion thatthey were in the country illegally.

• Day 6 | Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter on Joe Arpaio's racial profiling and Presidential pardon

Arpaio admitted to inadvertently disobeying the court orderbut said his behaviour did not meet a criminal standard. He saidthe prosecution was a politically motivated attempt by the Obamaadministration to undermine his re-election bid.

Arpaio had been scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 5 andfaced a fine and maximum sentence of six months in jail.

Reinstated chain gangs

His controversial tenure as sheriff brought Arpaio nationalheadlines for massive roundups of suspected illegal immigrantsand for the way he ran the Maricopa County jail.

He reinstated chain gangs, made inmates wear uniforms thatwere pink or old-fashioned black and white stripes and forbadethem coffee, salt and pepper.

Critics said as sheriff Arpaio spent too much time courtingpublicity and not enough on basic policing. The East Valley
Times newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for a 2009 series showingthat arrests in the county had dropped while many violent crimeswere not investigated and response call times had increased.

In the statement Friday night, the White House said, "Throughout his time as Sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration. Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now 85years old, and after more than 50years of admirable service to our Nation, he is worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon."

Busy night for the White House

The announcement of Arpaio'spardon was just one of several pieces of news that came out of the White House late Friday.

• Trump directed the Pentagon to extend indefinitely a ban ontransgenderindividuals joining the military, though he appeared to leave open the possibility of allowing some already in uniform to remain.
• White House national security aide Sebastian Gorka said he hadresigned from his position, though a White House official told The Associated Press that he did not resign but "no longer works at the White House."
• Trump left for Camp David nearThurmont, Md., where he'll keep an eye on Hurricane Harvey as the Category 4 storm takes aim at Texas.
• Trump also has to contend with North Korea's latest weapons tests, after three short-range ballistic missiles were launched by the isolated nation. The U.S. initially suggested that all hadfailed. But a report Saturday said the U.S. had revised its assessment, and the two missilesinitially thought to have failed in flight actually flew about 250 kilometres.